XXL

1997 1h 35m FR

💀

4.6

SKIP

⭐

4.1

IMDB

★4.6TMDB · 7★4.1IMDB · 370

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Tunisian-Jewish businessman Alain Berrebi (Michel Boujenah) courts Ashkenazi princess Arlette Stern (Elsa Zylberstein). Her father David (Maurice Chevit) learns of the death of a rural Auvergne peasant who once hid David and his cousin Nathan (Felix Fibich) from the Nazis. Nathan is now a NYC diamond dealer on West 47th Street. David, Nathan, Arlette, and Berrebi head for the funeral in Auvergne. There they encounter the deceased peasant's son, Jean Bourdalou (Gerard Depardieu), who operates the family's restaurants in Paris. Arlette does a romantic take on Bourdalou, which sends the distraught Berrebi off to cry on the shoulder of his mother Gaby (Gina Lollobrigida). Back in Paris, Bourdalou and Berrebi make plans to open a trendy fashion restaurant in Manhattan.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Gérard Depardieu
Jean Bourdalou
Michel Boujenah
Alain Berrebi
Elsa Zylberstein
Arlette Stern
Catherine Jacob
Lorène Benguigui
Gina Lollobrigida
Gaby Berrebi
Gad Elmaleh
Samy
Maurice Chevit
David Stern
Emmanuelle Riva
Sonia Stern

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ariel Zeitoun
Writers: Florence Quentin
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 / 6

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ariel Zeitoun, shot by Philippe Pavans de Ceccatty. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Gérard Depardieu and Michel Boujenah and Elsa Zylberstein carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0120537 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 7 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ariel Zeitoun directs. Philippe Pavans de Ceccatty behind the camera. Hugues Darmois cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

129 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Ariel Zeitoun, shot by Philippe Pavans de Ceccatty. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Editor Hugues Darmois shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
4Gérard Depardieu and Michel Boujenah and Elsa Zylberstein carry the top of the cast.
5IMDB entry: tt0120537 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
6Only 7 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.