Summer Hours

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Cast & Crew

Juliette Binoche
Adrienne

Charles Berling
Frederic

Jérémie Renier
Jeremie

Édith Scob
Helene

Dominique Reymond
Lisa

Kyle Eastwood

Alice De Lencquesaing

Eric Elmosnino

Olivier Assayas
Director

Olivier Assayas
Screenwriter

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Critic Reviews for Summer Hours

Audience Reviews for Summer Hours

• Oct 30, 2012

  A touching portrait of a family coming to grips with the remnants of childhood after the passing of the matriarch. A difficult situation that many of us have had the misfortunate of having to endure in regular life.
  

  John B Super Reviewer
• Sep 14, 2011

  If you are a fan of personal and small scale family dramas then "Summer Hours" is a true treat and one of the most heartfelt and touching films I've viewed as of recently. The film looks at one family, a rather large one, consisting of a mom and her three children along with their families all revolving around the mother's beautiful country estate. In this estate there are many artistic pieces ranging from furniture, paintings, glassware, sculptures and much more all with some value; sentimental or financially valuable. The mom is sensing her mortality and tries to talk to her children, most notably her eldest Frederic who is the only one living in France still, about what comes after her passing. The subject proves a little much and it is pushed aside as their families are all moving about and have much going on while their mother sits in her estate of memories with only the housekeeper to keep her company. Shortly after a big party in which the mom had all her children over and tried discussing her will and plans, she sadly dies and the children are forced to confront and settle everything that they have put out of their minds for so long. It really is a poignant and touching Drama that shows both a personal look into one families dilemmas and situation but makes it universally applicable in the viewer's own personal life and family situations. The film really touched me and touched upon many situations and complications in my own family and really spoke to me at a very deep level. I would certainly recommend this to anyone as pretty much anyone who devotes the short film length and engages with it, can pull something useful that they may have been pushing away too.
  

  Chris B Super Reviewer
• Feb 25, 2011

  Even with a couple of plot lines that end up in blind alleys, "Summer Hours" is a poignant and touching look at the passage of time in a single family as it moves further apart, with jumps in time from sequence to sequence. It starts innocently enough with the 75th birthday celebration for Helene(Edith Scob) where she tells her oldest, Frederic(Charles Berling, who is excellent), an economist and writer, what she would like to happen to her house and belongings once she dies, forgetting what happened to King Lear when he tried something similar. It's actually more important than just a simple family matter, as she lives in a veritable museum that the Musee D'Orsay covets due to her uncle being a famous painter in his day. Frederic is stuck with the job because he is the only one still living in France while his siblings Adrienne(Juliette Binoche) and Jeremie(Jeremie Renier) live and work abroad. Frederic's intention is to keep the home where they all grew up in the family. To the movie's credit, they act like a real family as the siblings joke about old memories shared between them. All of whom are entering the stage in their lives where they are now the oldest in their families, to paraphrase "The Sopranos." In the end, "Summer Hours," in its own simple way, reminds us that all things come to an end, with all that is left is memories and a badly tended grave.
  Walter M Super Reviewer
• Feb 20, 2011

  A kindly matriarch leaves her palatial country estate to her three grown children who, after her death, debate whether or not to sell and what is lost if they do. The concept for the film is strong, and by and large, the performances are subtle, nuanced, and strong. However, the film is simply too slow. At about the beginning of the second act, we've already figured out the film's theme and have a very good idea about how it's going to end, and for the last hour, we're waiting for the film to catch up to its audience.
  Jim H Super Reviewer

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