Barbecue
18/06/16 Filed in: Amazon Prime
Back to the exercise bike and therefore back to watching French films on Amazon Prime.
The latest was Barbecue, a lightweight comedy that has hardly inspired the critics. Lambert Wilson who plays the lead character, Antoine Chevalier, is singled out for doing a good job in a lacklustre film.
So what did I think?
Well it wasn't all that bad. It made me laugh and I found the characters a lot more believable than in some Hollywood light comedies.
Antoine, the vain, philandering scion of a family firm, is someone who has done all the right things to keep healthy, but suffers a heart attack during a fun run just before his 50th birthday. When his surgeon gives him advice on following a healthy lifestyle, he replies that he had already done all that, and look what happened. So he decides instead to leave work, eat the wrong things, drink more and smoke when he feels like it, much to the annoyance of his doctor wife, Véronique.
The film revolves around three couples and a single friend, Jean-Michel. They were at college together and meet up regularly, the barbecue title of the film referring to the opening sequence when they are enjoying one of their get-togethers.
The latest was Barbecue, a lightweight comedy that has hardly inspired the critics. Lambert Wilson who plays the lead character, Antoine Chevalier, is singled out for doing a good job in a lacklustre film.
So what did I think?
Well it wasn't all that bad. It made me laugh and I found the characters a lot more believable than in some Hollywood light comedies.
Laurent - Baptiste - Olivia - Yves - Antoine - Jean-Michel
Antoine, the vain, philandering scion of a family firm, is someone who has done all the right things to keep healthy, but suffers a heart attack during a fun run just before his 50th birthday. When his surgeon gives him advice on following a healthy lifestyle, he replies that he had already done all that, and look what happened. So he decides instead to leave work, eat the wrong things, drink more and smoke when he feels like it, much to the annoyance of his doctor wife, Véronique.
The film revolves around three couples and a single friend, Jean-Michel. They were at college together and meet up regularly, the barbecue title of the film referring to the opening sequence when they are enjoying one of their get-togethers.
Each couple has their problems, while Jean-Michel's only problem seems to be that he hasn't got a girlfriend. Yves is the 'regular' family guy who mans the barbecue and irritates the others somewhat. Laurent is in the midst of a property deal that has gone badly wrong and faces losing everything. Baptiste is separated from Olivia but they keep ending up at the same place. It is clear to the others that Baptiste wants to be back with Olivia, meanwhile she breezes around causing Baptiste much heartache.
Nobody other than Antoine knows about Laurent's problems, and Laurent doesn't know that Antoine knows. So when Laurent says he won't be joining them on holiday, Antoine tells him about a house in the south that they can use for free, belonging to friends of his wife. So off they all go.
While there Antoine discovers that his wife, Véronique, is having an affair with his surgeon. This causes him to become somewhat of a pain in the neck, and this behaviour is only interrupted by him having a relapse and ending up back in hospital.
After these little setbacks we know things are going to work out fine in the end, it's that sort of film. And they do.
The French was a bit tricky but the subtitles filled in what I missed.
The following trailer implies that the film is only about Baptiste and Olivia 's divorce and subsequent meeting at the holiday house - but it's not.
Nobody other than Antoine knows about Laurent's problems, and Laurent doesn't know that Antoine knows. So when Laurent says he won't be joining them on holiday, Antoine tells him about a house in the south that they can use for free, belonging to friends of his wife. So off they all go.
While there Antoine discovers that his wife, Véronique, is having an affair with his surgeon. This causes him to become somewhat of a pain in the neck, and this behaviour is only interrupted by him having a relapse and ending up back in hospital.
After these little setbacks we know things are going to work out fine in the end, it's that sort of film. And they do.
The French was a bit tricky but the subtitles filled in what I missed.
The following trailer implies that the film is only about Baptiste and Olivia 's divorce and subsequent meeting at the holiday house - but it's not.