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      C'est la Vie

      Released Feb 14, 1990 1h 37m Drama List
      Reviews 60% 500+ Ratings Audience Score In 1950s France, teenage Frederique (Julie Bataille) and her younger sister, Sophie (Candice Lefranc), are enjoying their summer vacation at a seaside villa, cared for by their nanny. Their mother, Lena (Nathalie Baye), drops by with Jean-Claude (Vincent Lindon), a young painter. When the girls' father, Michel (Richard Berry), shows up and can barely hide his anger, Frederique realizes that her mother is having an affair, and her parents' marriage may be disintegrating under the summer sun. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Equivalent to affable vacations, far from the worldly noise of so many other crushing films. [Full review in Spanish] Oct 26, 2022 Full Review Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice An engaging tale about the break-up of a family unit as seen through the eyes of a thirteen-year old girl. Rated: 3/5 Aug 30, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Tarik o There are movies, there are good movies, there are great movies, there are masterpieces, and then, soaring above them all, there is 'La Baule-les-Pins'. A film that dares to boldly ask the question: What if we just... didn't do much of anything at all? This cinematic tour de force, a jewel in the crown of French cinema, revels in its own exquisite inertia. Director Diane Kurys, with a knowing glance towards the Nouvelle Vague, crafts a narrative so subtle, so nuanced, that one might mistakenly think nothing is happening. But ah, that's the rub Рin the stillness, everything happens. 'La Baule-les-Pins' is an audacious exploration of the mundane. The characters meander through scenes with a languid grace, discussing the trivialities of life with such earnestness that one can't help but be swept up in the sheer... normality of it all. The film's refusal to indulge in any conventional plot progression is not merely a choice; it's a statement. A statement that screams, 'Look how boldly uneventful life can be!' The cinematography is a love letter to the everyday, capturing the essence of the French seaside with such clarity that you can almost smell the boredom in the air. Each frame is a masterclass in making the ordinary feel profoundly... ordinary. In essence, 'La Baule-les-Pins' is more than a film; it's an experience, a meditation on the beauty of the banal. It invites viewers to bask in the glory of the unremarkable, finding deep, resonant meaning in the act of doing remarkably little. For the connoisseur of French cinema, it's a sublime work of art. For others, it's a sublime exercise in the art of resisting the urge to do something more interesting. Either way, it's unforgettable. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This was am awesome suprise....light hearted personality plus movie. Geat personality development on many levels....and funny all the way through. Also beatiful cimotography. Sets beautiful and people all very intetesting looking and the best acting i have seen in ages. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review dave j Monday, October 3, 2011 (1990) C'est La Vie (In French with English subtitles) DRAMA/ COMEDY Young girl turning 13 feeling the effects of her parents divorce while going on a beach vacation! While she narrates some of the story, her parents side of things are also shown at the same time, in a non-resolution kind of way! After my second viewing, since the first time I saw this flick, I was only a little kid and was interested in watching 'foreign films' except that it didn't appeal to me as much as right now! Written and directed by Diane Kurys which is sort of an autobiography of her life. 3 out of 4 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member It was a lot more disturbing than I would have thought. I looked at the back cover and mistook it for a comical film. Still, it was enjoyable Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Pas compliqu̩ ce film. Tr̬s bien tricot̩. Une sc̬ne de jalousie qui fait peur. Les enfants sont tr̬s cr̩dibles. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member great movie about growing up in france in the late fifties(that is why it shows some kids smoking) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis In 1950s France, teenage Frederique (Julie Bataille) and her younger sister, Sophie (Candice Lefranc), are enjoying their summer vacation at a seaside villa, cared for by their nanny. Their mother, Lena (Nathalie Baye), drops by with Jean-Claude (Vincent Lindon), a young painter. When the girls' father, Michel (Richard Berry), shows up and can barely hide his anger, Frederique realizes that her mother is having an affair, and her parents' marriage may be disintegrating under the summer sun.
      Director
      Diane Kurys
      Producer
      Robert Benmussa
      Screenwriter
      Diane Kurys, Diane Kurys, Alain Le Henry
      Distributor
      Samuel Goldwyn Company
      Production Co
      Société Générale de Gestion Cinéma, Centre National de la Cinematographie, Films A2, Alexandre Films
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      French (Canada)
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Feb 14, 1990, Wide
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $801.8K
      Runtime
      1h 37m
      Sound Mix
      Dolby SR
      Aspect Ratio
      Scope (2.35:1)