Product Description

A random act of kindness snowballs into vivid proof that "no good deed goes unpunished" in APRES VOUS, the irresistible French comedy that garnered actor Daniel Auteuil (GIRL ON THE BRIDGE, JEAN DE FLORETTE) a Cesar Award nomination for Best Actor. Antoine (Auteuil), a restaurant headwaiter; takes a shortcut through a park one night and spots Louis (Jose Garcia), a despondent, lovelorn stranger, attempting to kill himself. Antoine intervenes-despite Louis’s vehement protests-and hustles him home to his apartment. And it isn’t long before Antoine has decided to fix all that is wrong in Louis’s life. He artfully intercepts a suicide note mailed to Louis’s grandparents…riotously attempts to land Louis a job at his posh restaurant…and boldly attempts to mend the rifts between Louis and his former girlfriend, Blanche (Sandrine Kiberlain). But an unexpected twist of fate upsets Antoine’s grandiose plans for Louis’s "rehabilitation." Here’s a surprising, dazzling comedy treat that sparkles like a bottle of fine wine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40839 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-11-08
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 110 minutes

Customer Reviews

Romantic Comedy in the True French Manner
It seems when it comes to romantic comedies the French have the corner on the market and technique. APRES VOUS is a bit of pastiche with a storyline that borders on absurd, but in the hands of director Pierre Salvadori it becomes not only an enjoyable farce, but also a tender little statement about compassion.

Antoine (Daniel Anteuil) is the fastidious and ultra compassionate manager of a high-class restaurant who bends over backwards for his staff, his patrons, and anybody who crosses his path who appears needy. He ends up making his girlfriend Christine (Marilyne Canto) take second place to his humanitarian concerns and this puts a strain on his relationship. One evening in a rush to meet Christine he encounters Louis (José Garcia) who is in the process of hanging himself in the park, his desired finale to a life of frustration and loss of his girlfriend Blanche (Sandrine Kiberlain). Naturally Antoine rescues him, feeds him, even brings him home, all the while putting his life on hold to help Louis heal his wounds. Louis is most concerned about the loss of Blanche and Antoine immediately commits his efforts to find her, woo her back for Louis (including revealing Blanche's current boyfriend's infidelity) - but in the process there develops a mutual attraction between Antoine and Blanche! Antoine arranges for Louis to get a job at his restaurant despite Louis' depression and lack of training. Just when everything seems to be turning out for the best, Christine leaves Antoine, and the circumstances surrounding Antoine's salvage of Louis' life change and the ending is somewhat of a French twist!

The acting is fine, the pacing is fine, the only problem is with the characters themselves: we soon tire of Antoine's absurd selflessness and Louis' nerdy helplessness and that hampers the identification with these characters. Other than that the film is a brisk, sweet little French farce that leaves you humming. Grady Harp, November 05

What French Films Do Best
Apres Vous is an excellent way to pass a couple of hours. Antoine (Daniel Auteuil) saves Louis (José Garcia) from hanging himself late at night in a park and because he is the sweet, concerned, reliable guy he is takes on Louis as a sort of human reclamation project. Among the many funny moments throughout the film -- the visit to Louis grandparents' to intercept the suicide letter he has written them where Louis finds out that they sabotaged his relationship with the girlfriend whose loss drove him to the attempted suicide; the funniest job interview since the shoe salesman interview in one of Francois Truffaut's films; and watching the personalities of the two men begin to merge. Their ostensible romantic interests, Christine and Blanche, are secondary to their own buddy relationship even as both of them fall in love with Blanche. By the time the film reaches its bittersweet, but mostly happy ending, Antoine has salvaged a life, Jose has become a superb sommelier and Apres Vous has proved again that no culture does light, life comedy like the French.

Real French Fun
Pure fun!! Enjoyable and very smart. A kind of French twist on the American film "What about Bob".