IMDb listing
Allocine.fr listing*
aVoir-aLire.fr (A. ) review*
Critikat.com (A. Hée) review*
Le Parisien (P. Vavasseur) review*
Paris, Love, Cut (orig. Arnaud fait son 2e film ) [2015] [IMDb] [AC.fr]* (written and directed by Arnaud Viard [IMDb] [AC.fr]* [fr.wikip]*) is a Seinfeld / Woody Allen-ish film about the late 40-something y.o. writer/directer, well, "making his second film" (which is the movie's French title).
It's a simple, charming enough story, inspired by the writer / director's experiences, no doubt somewhat fictionalized, and it closed the opening night of the 2016 Chicago French Film Festival (organized annually by the French Diplomatic Mission to the United States and held each year at the Music Box Theater on Chicago's North Side).
In the film "Arnaud" (played by Arnaud Viard [IMDb] [AC.fr]*[fr.wikip]* himself) who had made a successful indie-like film some years back (in reality, the writter/directer had made exactly such a film Clara et Moi [2004] IMDb] [AC.fr]*) before making a somewhat successful career of being an actor on TV.
But in the film "Arnaud" was not _super successful_ as said "actor on TV" ... Yes people "on the street" do occasionally recognize him, but he's _not_ particularly rich. Indeed, a good part of the film is about him trying to get financing for said "second film" as _small_ in scope as it was. And, partly to give him something to do, as he's between gigs on TV and trying to get his film off the ground, and partly _to simply pay his bills_ he teaches at a Parisian drama school.
Then "Arnaud's" personal life is something of a mess. In the film, he's not really with anyone. He's trying to help is 40-something _ex-girlfriend_ Chloe (played by Irène Jacob [IMDb] [AC.fr.]*) get pregnant (by IVF). It's proving to be not particularly easy. They had put this off (until actually after their break-up ...) and while not impossible, not easy either. In his late 40s, "Arnaud" himself discovers that it's getting harder for him to get, well ... you know.
His drama class goes well. Naturally, there's a love interest, Gabrielle (played by Louise Coldefy [IMDb] [AC.fr.]*) to be found there as well (after all, Arnaud Viard [IMDb] [AC.fr]* himself wrote the film's script ;-). However, he also discovers, somewhat painfully, that to most of his students, including Gabrielle... the best that he can hope for is to be "the cool OLD teacher" ;-) who may perhaps help his students with "a connection" in the business or two.
He also has an aging mom (played by Nadine Alari [IMDb] [AC.fr.]*) who is no longer well, indeed, slowly dying.
Out of these elements a nice, somewhat bitter-sweet -- often quite funny and at other times quite poignant -- again Seinfeld / Woody Allen-ish film plays out.
It's a nice film, and served well to help kick-off this year's French Film Festival in Chicago.
Good job! ;-)
* Foreign language webpages are most easily translated using Google's Chrome Browser.
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