The Closet

"Sometimes to save your skin, you have to come out of the closet... or go in!"

2001 1h 24m FR

😐

6.5

MID

★6.5TMDB · 540

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A man spreads the rumor of his fake homosexuality with the aid of his neighbor, to prevent his imminent firing at his work.

“Sometimes to save your skin, you have to come out of the closet... or go in!”

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Cast

Daniel Auteuil
François Pignon
Gérard Depardieu
Félix Santini
Thierry Lhermitte
Guillaume, the Director of Public Relations
Michèle Laroque
Miss Bertrand
Michel Aumont
Belone, le voisin de Pignon
Jean Rochefort
Kopel, le directeur de l'usine
Alexandra Vandernoot
Christine
Edgar Givry
Mathieu

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Francis Veber
Writers: Francis Veber
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $95M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 53% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

25 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Francis Veber, shot by Luciano Tovoli. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Vladimir Cosma. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Georges Klotz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu and Thierry Lhermitte carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Francis Veber directs. Luciano Tovoli behind the camera. Vladimir Cosma scores. Georges Klotz cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Mid-budget at $95M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
3Earned back only 53% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
425 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
5Directed by Francis Veber, shot by Luciano Tovoli. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Vladimir Cosma. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Georges Klotz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu and Thierry Lhermitte carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Sometimes to save your skin, you have to come out of the closet... or go in!".
10IMDB entry: tt0243493 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 10 themes, including "factory worker", "coming out", "factory", "condom".