Santa Claus Is a Stinker

""There was a very rude gentleman who wanted to fuck Therese!""

1982 1h 28m FR

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 1,083

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two neurotics, working for a suicide hotline on the night of Christmas Eve, get caught up in a catastrophe when a pregnant woman, her abusive boyfriend, and a cross-dresser visit their office.

“"There was a very rude gentleman who wanted to fuck Therese!"”

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Cast

Gérard Jugnot
Félix
Thierry Lhermitte
Pierre Mortez
Anémone
Thérèse de Monsou dite « Mme S.O.S »
Christian Clavier
Jean-Jacques dit « Katia »
Marie-Anne Chazel
Josette dite « Zézette », compagne de Félix
Josiane Balasko
Marie-Ange Musquin, présidente de l'association
Bruno Moynot
Zadko Preskovitch dit « Presko », le voisin Yougoslave
Martin Lamotte
M. Leblé, voisin du dessous

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jean-Marie Poiré
Writers: Marie-Anne Chazel, Christian Clavier, Josiane Balasko
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jean-Marie Poiré, shot by Robert Alazraki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 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#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gérard Jugnot and Thierry Lhermitte and Anémone carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: ""There was a very rude gentleman who wanted to fuck Therese!"".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0084555 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jean-Marie Poiré directs. Robert Alazraki behind the camera. Vladimir Cosma scores. Catherine Kelber cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
244 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Jean-Marie Poiré, shot by Robert Alazraki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Vladimir Cosma. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Catherine Kelber shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Gérard Jugnot and Thierry Lhermitte and Anémone carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: ""There was a very rude gentleman who wanted to fuck Therese!"".
8IMDB entry: tt0084555 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "suicide", "transvestite", "cake", "pregnancy".