Father and Sons (2003)

So much average

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

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

Perhaps the main reason for watching "Pere et fils" is to catch one of the last screen appearances of the great Pillipe Noiret, who died in 2006. Although this is by no means one of his best achievements, Mr. Noiret was a reassuring sight in any of the films in which he appeared. He had such a screen presence and brought so much delight to the movie going public that he will be sadly missed.That said, this film takes us to meet a French family. Leo, the patriarch sees how his three sons grow distant from one another without any reasonable cause. Leo has to see each son separately, because having them together in one place, is almost impossible. Leo elaborates a plan, one in which he is dying. His one last wish is to go to see the whales in Canada before he dies.The trip does not start auspiciously, as the three brothers cannot make peace with one another. Leo, is told about a woman with special powers that might be able to help him with his malady. Leo, and the sons embark into a trip to the interior of Quebec, where this woman lives with her daughter. The journey will heal the wounds of the siblings. That alone could cure any sick parent that has witnessed such discord among his children. As for the whales, only Leo has the privilege of seeing one as it jumps from the water, something the rest do not get to see.A predictable film directed by Michel Boujenah. This was an obvious vehicle for Mr. Noiret, who runs away with the film. The sons are played by Charles Berling, Bruno Putzulu and Pascal Elbe. The scenes from Quebec are delightful as captured by Patrick Blossier.

I lived in Paris for 2 months last year, and on my first day there this was the movie I chose to see by myself at the cinema, as an introduction to french films. And to improve my language skills! I have to say it was a great choice. Funny, even to me with my limited knowledge of French, heartwarming and a great plot, with talented actors and the right blend of sentiment and humour. I wished all my friends were there to see it, but of course none of them speak French. recommended for newcomers to French language movies! I just wish they brought it out on DVD with English subtitles so I could let everyone back home see it! Ten out of ten! Go buy it!

This movie had everything to shine, but Boujenah did something I can't understand. He throws away the Quebec accent and replaced it by an accent so clean and polite that even the good family doesn't speak. I took what this population is so proud about like if it was a shame. This alone breaks all the mood of the film and this movie could have been shot anywhere where people speak French and we would have never seen the difference. It's just like throwing away the French bread rod or stealing the monarchy from England...

In case there are any academics/pseudo-intellectuals etc watching the first thing to say is that the title is not a direct translation from Turgenev, or even Hemingway. What we have here is a gentle comedy woven around our old friend the dysfunctional family. For better or worse this movie is going to be sold on top-billed Phillipe Noiret, arguably the best Italian (if we don't count Yves Montand) actor France has ever produced (witness his 'Aldo' in 'Cinema Paradiso') if not also the best South American (viz: his Pablo Neruda in 'Il Posto'). One of the old guard of French cinema - Michel Piccoli, Jean Louis Trintagnant, Michel Serrault - he couldn't turn in a bad performance if he tried so that just by turning up on the set he is going to save a bad script or enhance a good one. This is somewhere in between. Apart from Noiret none of the other principals means anything outside France and some of them are not even going to draw flies at the domestic box office. That aside this is a fairly decent effort and as good a way as any to beguile an hour or so. Patriarch Noiret, like Adam, has three sons, the anal-retentive businessman, the loser and the ho-hum, to say nothing of a doctor brother, who kick-starts what plot there is. In the wake of a health scare and some tv documentary footage featuring whales, Noiret contrives to unite the family via a trip to Montreal combining a whale hunt. The results are predictable but nevertheless enjoyable, laffs, tears, trauma plus a cutesie 'did he or didn't he see it' wrap shot. See it if you're a father, a son, or even a transvestite nun.