Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3126 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-03-06
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: French
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 106 minutes

Synopsis
Paris, the city of light and love, plays host to this romantic comedy of unexpected complexity and a pervading humanity, which examines the damage that too much kindness can sometimes cause. Pierre Salvadori directs an outstanding cast, with two-time Cesar winner Daniel Auteuil (THE CLOSET, GIRL ON THE BRIDGE) as Antoine, a maitre d' at an upscale brasserie where he quietly runs the show. His altruism doesn't end at work, however, and on his way through the park to meet his girlfriend, Antoine encounters a man about to take his own life. Poised at the end of a rope and perched on a suitcase, Louis (Jose Garcia, TROUBLE EVERYDAY, JET SET) is suicidal over the loss of his girlfriend Blanche (Sandrine Kiberlain). Antoine steps in and saves the man's life, and both will live to regret it, as Antoine is unexpectedly guilty for preventing this tortured man's demise. Antoine is determined to make his charge happy again, but finding him a place to live, a job, and friendship is not enough to put the life back into Louis, so Antoine seeks out the one woman who could end Louis's heartache. Things get complicated as an attraction grows between Blanche and Antoine, and Louis comes to see Antoine as his rival. APRES VOUS contains some uproarious slapstick moments, such as a distressed Louis's disastrous run-in with a waiter mid-flambe, and a dissolute Antoine, drunk on the job and punctuating his sentences with a live lobster he's holding. But it's the universal themes of love and friendship that make the film resonate, with Auteuil's hangdog likability and Garcia's wide-eyed, perpetually lost look generating a chemistry that drives both the humor and the emotion of the action. Kiberlain rounds out the cast, possessed of an ethereal beauty and playing Blanche with understated, wry sensibility.

Customer Reviews

A pleasant gentle comedy
This is an easy going gentle comedy from France. The plot is simple but sets up some nice jokes and the film has a satisying finish that is typically french.

Don't expect a gag a minute, this is not that sort of film. It has serious moments, sad moments and funny moments. There are not any outstandingly hilarious moments but the film overall is very affable and a pleasant way to pass the evening.

A funnier alternative is the film Le Placard (aka the closet) - also starring M Auteuil it is a better, funnier film and I highly recommend it. Another to consider is Le Diner de cons, again very funny. Both these films have the same funny/sad/serious elements that are staples of this type of french cinema.

If you are looking for fast action with humour this is not the film for you, instead try Wasabi or Taxi, both hilarious french films with plenty of action.

a slice of mille feuilles
Quite a delicious piece of French film for Daniel Auteuil fans- he has plenty of scenes and he plays a sympathetic character (though some might think he's a bit of a charlatan)- but the plot is a little light and inconsequential. They obviously had a lot of fun making it, as can be seen among the extras, and this gives it a feel good factor. I would recommend three stars for it for a light diversion on a journey, or four if you're an Autueil fan!

Not nearly as funny as it could be but hard to dislike
Daniel Auteuil plays the friend in need in Apres Vous as a maitre `d who tries to get would-be suicide José Garcia back on his feet only to fall for the girl the poor sap tried to kill himself over, Sandrine Kiberlaine, and start to ruin his own life in the process. Despite the strong cast and glossy production values, the material never quite justifies all the expense. It's fairly gentle stuff with few really big laughs but hard to dislike even though it doesn't make the most of the opportunities the premise presents, and the scene with Garcia's grandmother (André Tainsy) is a gem.

While the unsubtitled French DVD has decent extras, Paramount's extras-free UK DVD comes with only a subtitled widescreen transfer to recommend it.