Cézanne and I

R

Released Mar 31, 2017

1h 54m

History

Drama

Biography

TRAILER

for Cézanne et Moi: Trailer 1

List

53%

49 Reviews

Tomatometer

46%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Painter Paul Cézanne (Guillaume Gallienne) develops a strong friendship with writer Émile Zola (Guillaume Canet) in 19th-century France.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Aug 08

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Rent Cézanne and I on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

The lifelong friendship between painter Paul Czanne and novelist Emile Zola gets a sensitive but occasionally soapy treatment from French writer-director Danile Thompson (Jet Lag).

Apr 27, 2017

Full Review

Ann Hornaday

Washington Post

It's a touching evocation of friendship, brotherly competition and artistic courage at the cusp of a new century.

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 20, 2017

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

The film wears its luxuriant production design with the same satisfaction as the newly wealthy Zola does his brocade dressing gown.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 17, 2017

Full Review

Leo Brady

AMovieGuy.com

Cezanne and I is a film about friendship conflicting with creation.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 15, 2021

Full Review

David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

The director apparently wanted to concentrate on Cézanne's private woes and sufferings. But why should that concern and the broader social concern be mutually exclusive?

Feb 10, 2021

Full Review

Erin Blackwell

Bay Area Reporter

Alas, Paul Cezanne and his friend Emile Zola, the titular "Me," are not so well-served by director Daniele Thompson.

Jun 8, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

william k

Well-made biographical drama is focused on the legends' complex and explosive friendship, with fully believable performances by Canet and Gallienne, and enhanced by Jean-Marie Dreujou's remarkable camerawork, but somehow neglects to explore or even explain the protagonists' importance in art and literature history.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A tad heavy on friends-who-show-their-artistic-passion-and-love-to-each-other-by-constantly-yelling, but otherwise enjoyable!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Aside from some interesting shots of the beautiful Provencal landscape, whose colors were, too, exaggerated to look like a painting, the movie offers very little. What's most evident is the research that went into the writing. Still raw and unpolished, the writing doesn't create a coherent story that combines both the story of Cezanne and Zola's bromance, and their art. Several aspects of the movie didn't even ring true. Cezanne is largely portrayed as a loser, hostile and moody, cut off from the Parisian art world. No mention of him being largely admired by his peers (in 1900, Maurice Denis even paints "Homage to Cezanne" with some of the most famous painters of the time, surrounding one of Cezanne's paintings). Even though in real life he rarely drew nudes from life and more from imagination, in the movie we see him drawing nudes from life most of the time. The movie is pretentious for all the wrong reasons, and offers the bare minimum.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Colorful, with a boring directing.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Danièle Thompson

Director

Guillaume Canet

Émile Zola

Guillaume Gallienne

Paul Cézanne

Alice Pol

Alexandrine Zola

Déborah François

Hortense Cézanne

Sabine Azéma

Elisabeth Aubert

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

11%

54%

Papa: Hemingway in Cuba

TRAILER

for Papa: Hemingway in Cuba

31%

44%

The Devil's Violinist

38%

65%

The Liberator

64%

45%

Life

TRAILER

for Life

56%

54%

LBJ

TRAILER

for LBJ

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Ghost in the Shell Looks Great, but Rings Hollow

Cézanne et Moi: Trailer 1

1:59

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Painter Paul Cézanne (Guillaume Gallienne) develops a strong friendship with writer Émile Zola (Guillaume Canet) in 19th-century France.

Director: Danièle Thompson
Producer: Michel Schmidt
Screenwriter: Danièle Thompson
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: France 2 Cinéma, G Films, Orange Studio, Pathé, Alter Films
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Sexual References)
Genre: History, Drama, Biography
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 31, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 8, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $257.1K
Runtime: 1h 54m

Most Popular at Home Now