Serial (Bad) Weddings
| Serial (Bad) Weddings | |
|---|---|
 French theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Philippe de Chauveron |
| Produced by | Romain Rojtman |
| Written by |
Philippe de Chauveron Guy Laurent |
| Screenplay by |
Philippe de Chauveron Guy Laurent |
| Starring |
Christian Clavier Chantal Lauby Ary Abittan Frédéric Chau Frédérique Bel Élodie Fontan |
| Music by | Marc Chouarain |
| Cinematography | Vincent Mathias |
| Edited by | Sandro Lavezzi |
Production company |
Les films du 24 |
| Distributed by | UGC Distribution |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $12.8 million |
| Box office | $148.5 million[1] |
Serial (Bad) Weddings (French: Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu?) is a French comedy film directed by Philippe de Chauveron released in 2014.
Plot
Claude Verneuil, a Gaullist notary, and his wife Marie, a Catholic bourgeois from Chinon, are parents of four daughters: Isabelle, Odile, Ségolène, and Laure. The three eldest are already married to men, each one of a different religion and a different ethnic origin: Isabelle married Rashid Ben Assem, an Algerian Muslim lawyer, Odile married David Benichou, a Sephardi Jew entrepreneur, and Ségolène married Chao Ling, a Han Chinese banker. The Verneuils pretend to accept their sons-in-law but have had a hard time hiding their discomfort at accepting people into the family from outside the community. A family meeting is spoiled because of the awkwardness and clichés about race and religion, expressed as much by the father as by the sons-in-law who even exchange insulting communitarian views to and about each other.
The Verneuils, in despair, put all their hope in their youngest daughter Laure, that she will bring home a Catholic partner, going so far as to arrange an "accidental" meeting with a young Catholic man who works in finance. However, Laure reveals that she had chosen a Catholic partner named Charles Kofi, and wishes to marry him. Laure's parents are overjoyed and readily forgive his occupation as a comedian and actor. On the first meeting, however, they are shocked when they discover that the man to whom their daughter is engaged is a West African from the Ivory Coast. Claude begins to sink into depression and spends his time cutting down trees and fishing. Meanwhile, the three sons-in-law get together and plan to stop Laure's marriage out of fear that their friendship will be threatened by a fourth member.
When the Verneuils meet with the Kofis, Marie and Charles' mother Madeline get along well, but Claude finds that Charles' father André is an intolerant, tough, stingy military man and extremely resentful of white colonisation and white supremacy in Africa. Both the groom's and bride's party come head to head and the fathers' disapproval and racist views heat up the situation. On the day before the wedding, André goes out with Claude fishing and unexpectedly find common ground in their dislikes, as both are Gaullists (Charles de Gaulle), and develop a friendship. After catching a pike, the two go to a restaurant, become drunk with wine and are arrested from the pâtisserie. Laure is notably upset at this and boards a train, deciding to end the marriage; André and Claude manage to leave prison with the help of the sons-in-law and persuade Laure to marry Charles. Laure agrees and the film ends with a happy marriage and a night of the family dancing coupé-décalé.
Cast
- Christian Clavier as Claude Verneuil
- Chantal Lauby as Marie Verneuil
- Medi Sadoun as Rashid Ben Assem
- Ary Abittan as David Benichou
- Frédéric Chau as Chao Ling
- Noom Diawara as Charles Kofi
- Pascal N'Zonzi as André Kofi, Father of Charles
- Salimata Kamate as Madeleine Kofi, Mother of Charles
- Tatiana Rojo as Viviane Kofi, Sister of Charles
- Frédérique Bel as Isabelle Ben Assem Verneuil
- Julia Piaton as Odile Benichou Verneuil
- Émilie Caen as Ségolène Ling Verneuil
- Élodie Fontan as Laure Verneuil
- Élie Semoun as the Psychologist
- Loïc Legendre as the Priest of Chinon
- Yvonne Gradelet as a tourist
- David Salles as a gendarme
- Axel Boute as the young "albino" person in cell
Production
Although set in Chinon, the film was mainly filmed in Paris and in Normandy. A few shots of the castle in Chinon were taken on 10 December 2013.[2]
Reception
Critical response
In France, the film received positive reviews with an average grade of 4.2/5 from AlloCiné for over 9,200 votes on May 30, 2014[3] as well as press critics with an average grade of 3.7/5 for 7 comments.[3] Le Figaro called it a "triumph," "a phenomenon" and "hilarious."[4]
However, outside of France the film was very poorly received. The National Post stated that the film's humor failed because "it sometimes strays across the good-taste divide and into actual racist remarks, played straight. Secondly (and far more importantly in a comedy) it often isn’t funny at all."[5] Variety magazine adds that the film has been criticized for "perpetuating racist stereotypes and feeding into France's ambient xenophobia."[6] According to The Hollywood Reporter, "the majority of the jokes are extremely heavy-handed – the Jew calls the Arab 'Arafat' and then is karate-chopped by the Asian."[7]
Because of the film's controversial content, it had little global distribution. The Telegraph reported that, "British and American cinema-goers will not get to see a hugely popular French comedy because it has been rejected by film distributors who deem it politically incorrect and possibly racist."[6]
Box office
The film attracted over 200,000 viewers in 621 cinemas on the first day. The film received the "Label des spectateurs UGC" two months before its release,[8] like have received other French successes from the box office such as The Intouchables and The Artist. The film grossed a total of US$174.1 million internationally.[9] In France, the film grossing 13.2 million admissions, which is a large commercial success.[10]
Accolades
| Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28th European Film Awards | European Film Academy People's Choice Award for Best European Film | Serial (Bad) Weddings | Nominated |
| 29th Goya Awards | Best European Film | Serial (Bad) Weddings | Nominated |
| 20th Lumières Awards | Best Screenplay | Philippe de Chauveron and Guy Laurent | Won |
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=14040
- ↑ "Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait... au réalisateur ?" (in French). lanouvellerepublique.fr. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- 1 2 "Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu ?" (in French). AlloCiné. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ↑ http://www.lefigaro.fr/cinema/2014/06/13/03002-20140613ARTFIG00131--qu-est-ce-qu-on-a-fait-au-bon-dieu-les-raisons-d-un-triomphe.php
- ↑ http://news.nationalpost.com/arts/movies/serial-bad-weddings-reviewed-raciste-moi?preview_id=712883
- 1 2 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11158603/Racist-French-cinema-hit-too-politically-incorrect-for-UK-and-US-audiences.html
- ↑ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/serial-bad-weddings-qu-est-699426
- ↑ "Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu ?" (in French). UGC. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ↑ Nancy Tartaglione and David Bloom (January 10, 2015). "'Transformers 4′ Tops 2014's 100 Highest-Grossing International Films – Chart". deadline.com. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.cbo-boxoffice.com/v4/page000.php3?Xnumitem=110&inc=fichemov.php3&fid=21760
External links
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