In this black comedy from France, a family gathers in a tavern, ostensibly to celebrate a birthday, but poking each other's sore spots turns out to be the main order of business. Henri (Jean-Pierre Bacri) runs a saloon that he inherited from his father called "The Sleepy Dad," and in the near-empty bar, he plays host to several members of the family as they mark the 35th birthday of his sister-in-law, Yolande (Catherine Frot). Henri's sister, Betty (Agnès Jaoui), is 30, single, and not very
happy about it; his brother (and Yolande's husband), Phillipe (Vladimir Yordanoff), runs a growing software company; Mother (Claire Maurier) is the siblings' strong-willed matriarch; and Henri's dog is on hand, whom someone describes as "like a rug, but alive." It's not been a good day for most of them: Phillipe is convinced that his business will go out the window as a result of the ugly tie that he wore on television; Betty is depressed about the sad state of her current relationship; Henri has just learned that his wife is leaving him; and Mother is tossing caustic barbs at everyone left and right. Henri's bartender Denis (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) is the one neutral party on hand, and he provides the voice of reason in the midst of the bickering. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Adapted from the play of the same name by Jean-Pierre Bacri and Agnès Jaoui (who both appear in the film) and it shows. It's not necessarily a bad thing though, just don't expect lots of action. The film basically takes place on one set, a restaurant playing host to a family gathering, so it's very much dialogue based.
But the script is snappy and witty which keeps your interest in a film that otherwise probabaly wouldn't. Overall nice script and nice performances, especially Catherine Frot who was very funny and provided the majority of the humour in the film. The dancing to Patti Smith scene was also cute.
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