What's in a Name (2012)

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

A family is preparing to have a dinner party together in a French apartment. It is being hosted by Elisabeth (Valerie Benguigui) and Pierre (Charles Berling), while the first two guests are Vincent (Patrick Bruel), who is Elisabeth's brother, and Claude (Guillaume de Tonquedec), who is a childhood friend. Vincent arrives before his pregnant wife Anna (Judith El Zein) and one of the main discussions is what they will be naming their child. To create havoc Vincent elects to tell them a controversial name. His one small lie unleashes the fury of Pierre first and then numerous other arguments breakout, revealing each of their personalities but also some long buried family secrets and some unexpected conflicts and surprises. There are pleasures to be found in this minor French comedy, it just takes time to reflect on them. Adapted from a play, the film seems as though it lacks cinematic stylisation. The technical elements leave something to be desired because this is directors Alexandre de La Patelliere and Matthieu Delaporte's first feature film from Delaporte's own play. The film is set almost entirely in one area, which isn't new, but the camera is largely static and the actors stand around, waiting for their turn to speak. One of the saving graces for the film though is that the humour shifts between highbrow French culture and then gleefully embraces a silly side too. The film opens with the repeat images of people throughout French history being assassinated through the macabre route. This establishes the rather black rim that borders around the jokes. The film is about figurative character assassinations as people shoot each other down, based on their interests or their insecurities. Pierre and Vincent argue about the political incorrectness of the baby name he is said to have chosen, I guessed prematurely what it was, and then Vincent argues that he took it from a literary text and they fight over the spelling of the name. The dialogue is written with rare, microscopic details and then the humour and jokes broaden as the power plays between the characters shift. Vincent the instigator suddenly becomes the butt of people's jokes, like when they torment him about his facial expressions. Similarly, after being left out of conversations Elisabeth launches at Pierre over their domestic roles. Some of the setups are well-organised, particularly when Vincent is about to reveal that name because it gives a preemptive feel to the chaos that is about to erupt. The weakness of the film is that despite the comedy revealing character and being purposeful, as it should be, there aren't a lot of big laughs. I think this has to do with the film's low energy levels. At just under two hours the film feels very long when this setup has been performed much leaner in the past. The Roman Polanski film Carnage from last year had a very similar premise but it was thirty minutes shorter and felt more satisfying. It was funnier and had more memorable episodes that I can still remember today. Nonetheless, this is a comedy that is deceptively small, and more layered and verbally articulate than a lot of mainstream comedies.

French gossip pretentiously called movie. Few lads are invited one night around the dinner table. They start talking about all the nonsense's possible. The camera stay in this room for the hole movie. I will say the budget was not to big or they use some public funds. There are few interesting lines and some funny jokes but this is not sufficient for making a movie. Adolf and Adolphe is a good example but they push it too long. Then you sleep with my mother, I make jokes about your kids names etc etc. This scenario is more adapted for theater that for cinemas in my opinion! Compare with Nous York, the last french movie I have seen, this is still watchable though .... I just realized how hard it is to write down 10 lines about a movie you don't like.

This is is the same ballpark as Daniele Thompson's Le Code A Change and that's not necessarily a bad thing given that Thompson is a seriously talented writer-director. Both movies focus largely on dinner parties involving close friends and/or families, skeletons, closets, home truths - perm any two from three. This takes about a reel and a half to hit its stride after which it delivers consistently. It benefits from a fine screenplay and some great ensemble acting by people we don't see that often outside France with Patrick Bruehl and Charles Berling having the highest profiles. It's not going to win any prizes for originality but against that it does take a well-worn plot and breathe new life into it as a fairly banal practical joke triggers repercussions far outside the scope of the original intention and a close-knit group edges close to the brink of fragmentation. It would be churlish to single out any one of the high quality performances and I for one will certainly watch it again.

Usually not a big fan of french movies, but this one was surprisingly good. It didn't bore for a single second and yes, there was sharp dialog (even in dubbed version) but it was funny and not to the point where one had to cover one's ears. And another plus, unlike Carnage, it did not feature a puking which was a major bonus points earner. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and think the actors did a great job. They felt real enough that this could have actually happened at a dinner party back at my own home. It also had a nice twist that I didn't see coming and don 't want to spoil for anyone. Just this much, things are not always what they seem to be. Yep, that about covers it. A well worthy ticket for an enjoyable popcorn movie night. (8/10)