Happiness Is No Joke

1995 1h 25m FR

🤯

10.0

MASTERPIECE

★10.0TMDB · 1

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

What there is of a plot in this drama serves mainly as a vehicle for the exploration of character. In the story, Michel (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu) is a recent widower. As the story opens, he and his friend Andre (Philippe Nahon) are sharing a drink on Christmas Eve. He takes a yellow scarf from a woman he knows (Laura Morante) and teasingly refuses to return it. Throughout the remainder of the film, the scarf reappears, as does the woman, until they wind up in bed together at the end of the film. Before that happens, Michel wanders around Paris, viewing the festivities with a jaundiced eye which serves to heighten the unattractiveness of those he observes. Later he has dinner with a group at Andre's house, and his poor opinion of human nature is amply supported by the events that occur then.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu
Michel
Laura Morante
Nadine
Philippe Nahon
André
Roland Amstutz
Marie Paquim
Josephine
Michel Morano
Jean-Claude Bouillon
Maryline Even

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Guillaume Nicloux
Writers: Guillaume Nicloux
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Guillaume Nicloux, shot by Raoul Coutard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Brigitte Bennard 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

Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu and Laura Morante and Philippe Nahon carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0109782 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Guillaume Nicloux directs. Raoul Coutard behind the camera. Brigitte Bennard cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
231 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Guillaume Nicloux, shot by Raoul Coutard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Brigitte Bennard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu and Laura Morante and Philippe Nahon carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0109782 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.