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C'est la Vie

Play trailer Poster for C'est la Vie Released Feb 14, 1990 1h 37m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 60% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
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.

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 – in 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 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 compliqué ce film. Très bien tricoté. Une scène de jalousie qui fait peur. Les enfants sont très crédibles. 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 Audience Member deux ados discute de leur vie Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Read all reviews
C'est la Vie

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Cast & Crew

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
Diane Kurys, Alexandre Arcady
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
Canadian French
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)