After You (2003)

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This is a sly, thoughtful and honest, rewarding romantic comedy done French style. It is the story of a lovelorn Parisian named Louis (Jose Garcia) whose hurt over his rejection by his love Blanche (the graceful, elegant Sandrine Kiberlain) has prompted him to attempt to take his own life. Fate intervenes, however, and a good Samaritan in the form of nice guy maitre d' Antoine (Daniel Auteuil) prevents the success of the suicide attempt. Antoine feels pain for Louis and takes him in, offering him a place to stay, attempting to boost his spirits, find him a job, and re-integrate him into society in an effort to re-habilitate him. The search for a job is short and mad-cap. The restaurant where Autueil is maitre d' is a high-end restaurant called Chez Jean and they are looking for a sommelier. Louis is set up to succeed in the interview and hilarity ensues. However, obviously, the greatest harm done to Louis was the hurt done to his heart by the break-up. It turns out, via one of the daffiest, wildest scenes you're likely to see, that Blanche did not dislike Louis and that outside factors undid the bond between the two ('nuff said). Wackiness, and heartache, ensues, once Antoine ventures to try to put his new friend back together with the lovely Blanche. He finds himself fighting his own desire to pursue her. This large-scale effort to help Louis put his life back in order obviously puts a strain on Antoine's relationship with his girlfriend, the reasonable, but not unreasonably long-suffering Christine (the capable Marilyn Canto). Obviously the crux of the film is Antoine's loyalty to his girlfriend, his ability to restrain his affection for Blanche, and thereby, his fealty to his friend Louis. The resolution of the film is fair; it is complicated but while perhaps it is not the optimum result for all parties, how often does this happen in life? The film seems to me largely plausible which is always satisfying; I can suspend my disbelief for a brief period of time, but if a film really wishes to simulate reality, it should not test this suspension of disbelief too much. Perhaps the only, or certainly by far the most, unrealistic part of the film was Louis sudden success as a sommelier after a very undistinguished start. Given such ineptitude from the outset, it seems unlikely he would have been kept on, and certainly would not have become as well trusted as he eventually became. That said, the vast majority of the characters and the plot development seems quite reasonable. The performances, Louis' neuroticism, Antoine's desire to be an everyman, and Blanche's well-disguised insecurities, are revealed well. This is a grown-up, satisfying, bittersweet, romantic comedy that.....gasp, even men (and certainly this one did) might like.

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!

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.

If you have a mind that is not mush from explosion, gun and alien movies, this will assure you that great cinema is still possible.The writing is fantastic and so nimble that your mind dances a duet with the production. Twists and turns and planting/payoff of clues is done with excellent timing, always assuming that the audience has functioning brains. Humor and love mix a great cocktail in this Cyrano-esquire beauty of a film. Nice not to be insulted with the obvious or with over explanation.The acting? To watch M. Auteuil's face go through its paces in any one scene is to watch genius portraying human character with such understanding and subtlety that we cannot miss a great part of the story that would, in another actor's hands, be obscured. M. Garcia is a great and pleasurable surprise for me; I hope you have seen him in other flix; I will look for him.Ah, the directing. Such a perfect grasp of timing!! Not too fast or slow and always attentive to bringing out the best of the great writing and actors.Did I say I liked it? Yup. Even for fans of Auteuil, this is an all time great. See it!!