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Movies / On DVD / The Closet
The Closet

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The Closet (2001)

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Reviews Counted:23

Fresh:17

Rotten:6

Average Rating:6.7/10

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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    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
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
    01/22/02
    Stanley Kauffmann
    Stanley Kauffmann
    New Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    While the generally sunny tone and faultlessly charming execution of the movie ... keeps things bubbling along, there's a cauldron churning somewhere beneath.

    Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
    07/18/01
    Geoff Pevere
    Geoff Pevere
    Toronto Star
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
    07/16/01
    Ebert & Roeper
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Perfectly built French tickler.

    Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
    07/16/01
    Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The level of acting elevates The Closet.

    Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
    07/10/01
    James Berardinelli
    James Berardinelli
    ReelViews
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A tour de farce from France's funniest filmmaker, Francis Veber.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    07/06/01
    Rita Kempley
    Rita Kempley
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Wins you over with its devastating simplicity.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    07/06/01
    Desson Thomson
    Desson Thomson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Anyone expecting a serious reflection on gay or social themes or the current state of sexual attitudes in France will not find it. This sweet-natured movie is mainly for laughs.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    07/06/01
    Louis B. Parks
    Louis B. Parks
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Timely as it is funny.

    Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
    07/06/01
    Susan Stark
    Susan Stark
    Detroit News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Auteuil continues to amaze, remaking himself with every new film.

    Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
    07/06/01
    Terry Lawson
    Terry Lawson
    Detroit Free Press
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The screenplay relies too much on the first level of its premise and doesn't push into unexpected places.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    07/06/01
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Perhaps not the most uproarious of Veber's farces, but entertaining and emotionally satisfying all the same.

    comment Comment
    07/06/01
    Jay Carr
    Jay Carr
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    [Auteuil] deftly achieves what amounts to an actor's paradox: He brings to the forefront a character who exists in the background.

    Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
    07/05/01
    Rex McDowell
    Rex McDowell
    Dallas Morning News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A bright and breezy piece.

    Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
    07/05/01
    Desmond Ryan
    Desmond Ryan
    Philadelphia Inquirer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    We are left with a mildly amusing comedy and the lingering memory of a sterling cast that deserved better material.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
    07/05/01
    John Petrakis
    John Petrakis
    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Floats with the buoyancy of a delicious French soufflé.

    Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
    06/29/01
    Andrew Sarris
    Andrew Sarris
    New York Observer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The Closet worthy of coming out for.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
    06/29/01
    Bob Graham
    Bob Graham
    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    There's just not a lot of freshness in this Closet.

    Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
    06/29/01
    John Anderson
    John Anderson
    Newsday
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Hilarious.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    06/29/01
    Lou Lumenick
    Lou Lumenick
    New York Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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