Philippe de Chauveron

Writer/director Philippe de Chauveron was a prolific figure on the French comedy scene who became a lightning rod of criticism for his controversial, crude, megahit, "Bad (Serial) Weddings" (2014), which came under attack not only for its broad, sitcom-like tone but also for the political incorrectness it wore on its sleeve. De Chauveron, born on November 15, 1965, graduated from the ESEC (École supérieure d'études cinématographiques) and entered the film industry as a writer, penning 1995's boxing-based "Les truffes" and "Dans la cour des grands" as well as 1998's "Bingo," before stepping out as a director with the raucous costume party tale "Les parasites" (1999), co-written with actor Oulage Abour. In 2005, de Chauveron's crime comedy "L'amour aux trousses" earned some commercial success. While critics picked on the film for its thin plot, an overreliance on clichés, and unimpressive technical skills, they reserved praise for de Chauveron's work with the trio of lead actors, especially future Oscar winner Jean Dujardin. After another mid-level success with 2009's "Neuilly sa mère!" de Chauveron reached mainstream success with 2011's "Ducoboo" and its 2012 sequel, "Ducoboo 2: Crazy Vacation," co-written with his younger brother Marc. Based on the beloved Belgian comics by Godi and Zidrou, both films were widely praised. None of these entries anticipated the blockbuster nature of his following film, "Bad (Serial) Weddings" (or "Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au bon dieu?"). In this biting social satire, two conservative Catholic parents, after seeing three of their four daughters marry an Arab Muslim, a North African Jew, and a Chinese man, balk at their fourth and final daughter's engagement to a black man from the Ivory Coast. Ostensibly an ensemble romantic comedy that the director intended to be a commentary on the growing xenophobia of France's right wing, its raw and edgy subject matter was uncomfortable enough to convince distributors in the United States and the United Kingdom to reject the film outright despite the blockbuster success and largely glowing reviews it received in its native country.