BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Steineded How sad is this?

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

dbdumonteil Antoine (Daniel Auteuil) is a head waiter in a chic Parisian restaurant and lives with his girlfriend Christine (Marilyne Canto). His work occupies a lot of place in his life. One evening, by going through a park to be more quickly at his apartment, he saves from suicide a neurotic man Louis (José Garcia). After vainly attempted to take him back to his close relatives, he takes him under his wing and succeeds to find him a job as a waiter in his workplace. Louis wanted to kill himself because his love affair with his ex girlfriend Blanche (Sandrine Kiberlain) went unravel. Antoine found her again because he wants to reconcile them again. She's a charming florist and, you guess it he becomes enamored of her. From then onwards, his well-ordered life starts to showcase signs of poor running.I'm a little surprised but glad to discover that this little high charged, hilarious comedy enjoys a small reputation abroad. About twenty reviews have already been posted for this film and most of them gave the movie thumbs up. I will post another positive one in spite of minor flaws Pierre Salvadori's film showcases.Some will be probably surprised but the outset reminded me of Jean Renoir's classic "Boudu Sauvé Des Eaux" (1932), perhaps because of the quite prestigious situation the main protagonists of the films occupy and maybe also because they save from suicide ill-fated men who are cracking up. And then, the saved ones immerse themselves in their rescuers' lives and disrupt their living environment. But although both movies are comedies, they don't belong to the same sub-category. Pierre Salvadori preferred not to follow the steps of the master which bestowed his own work with a strong social satire whiff. There's no trace of it in "Après Vous", although there may be an inkling of it in the following sequence: when Antoine takes Louis in the cellar and shows him the names of the different wines. Louis is afraid not to recognize the right wines and I think that Antoine answers him the customers ape the connoisseurs and don't know anything about wines. The director preferred to choose the road of the sentimental comedy and to especially focus on Antoine's turbulent love life.Pierre Salvadori commands his film at arm's length and delays the most momentous moment of the movie (the meeting between Louis and Blanche) to better linger on Louis' new life and especially on Antoine's love trouble. In a way, by making Louis work in his restaurant, by undertaking to reconcile him with Blanche and unfortunately by having a crush on her, he is a victim of his generosity. And Louis doesn't really realize the situations in which he puts Antoine. There's a funny sequence around the beginning of the film during which Antoine is at Louis' grandmother's and tries to alter Louis' suicide note in a placating, comforting letter. Then, deep down inside him, he thinks of leaving his ex girlfriend to live with Blanche and has to lie to his protégé and circle not to arouse suspicion about his real motivations. The movie becomes very enjoyable when it accumulates misunderstandings and embarrassing situations linked with Louis' job as a waiter or Antoine's sentimental trouble which the latter tries to escape by hilarious means (check the sequences in the Chinese restaurant). The scenario is also interspersed with droll lines: "how do you find the chicken? Dead".A threesome of actors serves the film. Daniel Auteuil is able to provide enough caliber to his character to watch the film until the tail end and I would like to congratulate the user "writer's reign" for the tasty pun he inserted in his review: "maitre d'Auteuil". José Garcia who earlier showed in his career that he could hold comical as well as dramatic roles (Philippe Harel's "Extension Du Domaine De la Lutte, 1999) shines as the neurotic, wound up Louis, indirectly responsible of Antoine's mishaps. At last, Sandrine Kiberlain, a little frail, naive but the director never ridicules her. She was ideally cast as Blanche. In French, this name is also an adjective which means white and the actress has a somewhat pallid face which suits well to both the name and the personality of her character.If the director honed his work with a palpable painstaking care for much of his work, there are little setbacks towards the end of the road. The end is thoroughly unexpected but was made in a rush and the trick of the lighter has been seen many times before. But these flaws aren't major enough to reject Salvadori's film. So, "Après Vous" and enjoy your film!

R FC Is it a romantic comedy or a farce? In either case, it does not succeed as either or both. The biggest problem is the with the premise. The notion that someone will go to such lengths, and such financial expense, to help someone who is in dire need of medical assistance is simply not plausible. Afterall, the guy does try to kill himself within the first few minutes. And thus one watches this movie constantly thinking, "I don't believe this is happening". While the acting is fine, the characters are all to broad and the reason for the infatuation with the girl is never developed and so we have no understanding as to why these men are so consumed by her.

largelyhappy Daniel Auteuil is always good value. One of France's top actors he is the master of understatement, telling us more by facial expression and body language than words ever could. However, I think he was sold short by this movie where the other characters, with one exception, were poorly drawn. Without spoiling - he rescues a man about to hang himself because his girlfriend has left him, and becomes entangled in this man's life. But there was nothing about either the guy or his girlfriend which merited someone going out of their way to help. Both totally lacked charisma, Blanche particularly was one of those women you simply want to shake in an effort to get some sort of personality into her. Louis needed a smart punch in the mouth and frankly, when Antoine finally got to the end of his tether with the guy's stupidity and weaknesses, I was looking forward to that as the high spot of the movie. Nothing could have upstaged the marvellous André Tainsy though, who died only a few months after this film was released, aged 93. She was une trésor absolue, carrying off her role with finesse, incredible humour, so understated - and total aplomb. It is a funny film (and if you know Fawlty Towers, it's in that vein) in an excruciatingly painful way where you just know everything is going to go wrong and there are a couple of laugh-aloud moments but given the mood throughout, it has the unlikeliest ending you could imagine.Brilliant music by Camille Bazbaz all the way through and if nothing else his 'Papa Tango Charlie' should have been a massive hit.

jotix100 Antoine, the head waiter of Chez Jean, an upscale restaurant in Paris, chances upon a man that is preparing to hang himself from a tree, one night he is trying to meet his girlfriend by cutting across a park. Well, the only thing for him to do, since he is a good guy, is to go and save the man's life. In saving the man, Antoine goes into extremes in order to give this man, a second chance in life, but at the same time he is taking on much more than what he bargained for.Pierre Salvadori's comedy could be considered a black one, or at least, in that genre. Mr. Salvadori seems to be telling us to watch out for those people that will soak up all our energy and good will as they will never be able to repay us for the kindness we extended to them in their hour of need, or so it appears to be the case with this idiotic Louis, the man that Antoine saved.In the process of trying to do good, Antoine discovers that Louis had been dejected after his girlfriend, the beautiful Blanche, has told him to pack his things up because she's had it with him! That's the reason for his trying to do himself in. Antoine, is kindness personified. He is an atypical Parisian man with a heart of gold and deep pockets to help the nebbish Louis, who obviously doesn't seem to have a clue about what to do with his life. In the process Antoine falls in love for Blanche.On the last sequence of the film we see Blanche and Antoine being reunited at the Thai restaurant they like, and a suddenly normal Louis is outside, realizes that Antoine has stolen his woman, We see Antone's car demolished by Louis. In a touch of Gallic sophistication, the head waiter presents the couple a bottle of expensive champagne sent by Louis, so they can celebrate their love.Daniel Auteuil's Antoine is perfect. One of the best things we have seen this actor lately. Sandrine Kilberlain is an elegant Blanche. Jose Garcia is the goofy Louis. Marilyne Canto and Michele Moretti, are seen in minor roles.This is a comedy that Hollywood would probably try to re interpret in the not too distant future. It has the right elements, but remains basically a delicious French comedy that one hopes is not duplicated by the American cinema.