The Apprentices

1995 1h 35m FR

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 72

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Antoine is a failed and depressed writer. Fred doesn't do much in his life and seems to be happy about it. The two of them share an apartment and live in a shambles. The adventures and mostly the misadventures of these two buddies/losers, makes them realise that despite everything that happens their friendship is the most important thing in their lives.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Marie Trintignant
Lorette
François Cluzet
Antoine
Guillaume Depardieu
Fred
Judith Henry
Sylvie
Claire Laroche
Agnès
Philippe Girard
Nicolas
Bernard Yerlès
Patrick
Jean-Pol Brissart
Rédacteur en Chef de Karaté Mag.

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pierre Salvadori
Writers: Pierre Salvadori, Pierre Salvadori, Nicolas Cuche
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 / 7

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Pierre Salvadori, shot by Gilles Henry. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Marie Trintignant and François Cluzet and Guillaume Depardieu carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0112386 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 72 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pierre Salvadori directs. Gilles Henry behind the camera. Philippe Eidel scores. Hélène Viard cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

131 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Pierre Salvadori, shot by Gilles Henry. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Philippe Eidel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Hélène Viard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Marie Trintignant and François Cluzet and Guillaume Depardieu carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0112386 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 72 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gilles Henry
Original score: Philippe Eidel
Editing: Hélène Viard
Production design: François Emmanuelli
Costume design: Valérie Pozzo di Borgo
Makeup / hair: Jane Milon
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: The Apprentices (1995)

Also by

Pierre Salvadori

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-02-06
★ 7/10
“Antoine” (François Cluzet) and his younger pal “Fred” (Guillaume Depardieu - anyone else think he’s the double of Julian Sands?) live together in a glorified squat struggling to put a lettuce, or a tomato, on the table. The former fancies himself as a bit of a playwright but is amidst a fairly long barren spell; the latter - well he’s a bit of a charming wastrel who is content to lie in bed all day as they both dream of their girlfriends, real or imaginary. Finally, they run out of what cash they did have and with eviction looming large they decide to rob the offices where “Antoine” works. That just proves to be a typically cack-handed affair for the pair, but also one that sees them rumbled by his bosses and facing a rather unique form of retribution - it’s a martial arts magazine! Needless to say, this causes a bit of difficulty between these two men as depression soon hits “Antoine” in quite a potent fashion. Luckily, the boys have “Lorette” (Marie Trintignant) on hand to help steer them through this emotional maelstrom just as “Fred” succeeds in getting himself involved in a ménage-a-trois! Sure, it’s all a little contrived and the scenarios do seem to go from frying pan to fire with predictable regularity, but there’s a convincing and enjoyable dynamic between the two men here that the witty, quite near the bone, script does much to augment. In it’s way it is quite an affecting love story depicting an inter-reliance based on a genuine fondness between two people whom you might reasonably think would do better apart. It hits the ground running and provides us with quite an entertaining observation of their lives that’s well worth an hour and an half.