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Movies / On DVD / The Closet
The Closet

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The Closet (2001)

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Reviews Counted:78

Fresh:67

Rotten:11

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: A pleasant comedy with a great cast.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for a scene of sexuality

Runtime: 85 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Jun 29, 2001 Limited

Box Office: $4,519,967

Synopsis: It's all about perception… Francois Pignon (Daniel Auteuil, The Widow of Saint-Pierre) leads an uncomplicated, complacent and quiet existence. Due to his severe case of "boring," his wife... It's all about perception…

Francois Pignon (Daniel Auteuil, The Widow of Saint-Pierre) leads an uncomplicated, complacent and quiet existence. Due to his severe case of "boring," his wife leaves him and his seventeen-year-old son abandons him. Pignon has little left to sustain himself except his accounting job at a condom factory. Until one day he accidentally discovers he is going to be fired, because his employers have grown tired of him as well.

Desperate for a solution, Pignon looks to his neighbor Belone (Michel Aumont), a retired corporate psychologist, for help. Together, they devise an outrageous scheme to solve his problem: Pignon will come out of a closet he never went into, and start a rumor that will have his entire corporation thinking he’s gay.

Due to this "surprising revelation," the new, mysterious Pignon suddenly intrigues his employer. Now he is a straight man pretending to live a gay life, entrenched in a comedy of errors, and finding his new persona is affecting everyone in his world. For the first time in his life, Francois Pignon is coming alive. -- © 2001 Miramax [More]

Starring: Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Depardieu, Thierry Lhermitte, Michele Laroque

Starring: Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Depardieu, Thierry Lhermitte, Michele Laroque, Jean Rochefort, Stanislas Crevillen, Alexandra Vandernoot

Director: Francis Veber

Director: Francis Veber
Screenwriter: Francis Veber
Studio: Miramax Films

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Nov 13, 2001

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • The Closet
  • The always popular Gerard Depardieu (102 DALMATIANS, VATEL) stars in a warmly engaging comedy that shows how one little white lie can change everything! A dull and lonely accountant working at a condom factory, Francois (Daneil Auteuil) meekly endures office jokes and backroom whispers that he's about to be fired ... usually instigated by his loutish coworker Felix (Depardieu). But that all changes when a rumor about him spreads around the office! Much to his surprise, this funny falsehood becomes the catalyst that sends Francois' life on an unexpected and hilarious turn for the better! As this outrageous, critically acclaimed story unfolds, you'll laugh along with Francois as he keeps this improbable charade going in an inspired bid to save his job and transform his life!
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for The Closet

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    If one didn't know any better, one would think that French farceur Francis Veber's latest comedy as a just-unearthed relic from the '80s, given how it treats homosexuality as some sort of cutesy novelty.

    Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
    02/10/09
    Michael Dequina
    Michael Dequina
    TheMovieReport.com

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
    08/07/08
    Mark Halverson
    Mark Halverson
    Sacramento News & Review
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    05/20/08
    Lisa Nesselson
    Lisa Nesselson
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    ...there are a number of sequences that would clearly benefit from a more broad sensibility (there's a scene that's virtually crying out for a spit take, for example).

    Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
    06/18/07
    David Nusair
    David Nusair
    Reel Film Reviews

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
    12/30/06
    Empire Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Time Out
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
    05/26/06
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Combustible Celluloid

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    01/09/06
    Film Threat
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Zap2it.com | comment Comment
    02/25/04
    J. V. McAuley
    J. V. McAuley
    Zap2it.com

    all honours finally go to Veber, who has once again single-handedly changed the landscape of gay filmmaking, proving that gay subject matter can be financially successful without being condescending.

    Full Review Source: Gay.com UK | comment Comment
    05/08/03
    Brandon Judell
    Brandon Judell
    Gay.com UK

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    04/05/03
    Andrea Chase
    Andrea Chase
    Killer Movie Reviews

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    03/10/03
    Kimberly Jones
    Kimberly Jones
    Austin Chronicle

    Veber has created a film which manages to be both humorous and thought-provoking.

    Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) | comment Comment
    02/13/03
    Tom Grealis
    Tom Grealis
    RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

    ... a gentle and astute minor comedy of manners

    Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
    10/30/02
    Philip Martin
    Philip Martin
    Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
    10/30/02
    Matthew Turner
    Matthew Turner
    ViewLondon
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
    10/21/02
    Jean Lowerison
    Jean Lowerison
    San Diego Metropolitan
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
    09/09/02
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
    08/12/02
    Rich Cline
    Rich Cline
    Shadows on the Wall

    A harmless, genial sitcom comedy that has little bite in its political and sexual agenda...

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    07/10/02
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
    05/26/02
    Guardian [UK]
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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