Although released in France under the title CRUSTACÉS ET COQUILLAGES this lightweight comedy from the makers of THE ADVENTURES OF FELIX has been retitled CÔTE D’AZUR for its US release (and as COCKLES & MUSCLES in Great Britain. It’s a mixture of two of France’s traditional film archetypes, the vacation movie and the farce. Married couple Marc and Beatrix (Gilbert Melki and Valeria Bruni- Tedeschi) head to the titular location to a villa inherited from Marc’s great aunt. The couple is coping with the fact that their teenage children are growing up and becoming sexual beings. Marc is a bit more uptight over the matter than Béatrix, who attributes her laissez-faire approach to the fact that she’s half Dutch. Their daughter heads off to Portugal with her biker boyfriend while son Charly (Romain Torres) plays host to his gay best friend Martin (Edourd Collin). Convinced their son is gay, Béatrix and Marc take different approaches to the “problem”: she determines to be accepting and open-minded while he is more disappointed. Things get more complicated when Béatrix’s Parisian lover appears and someone out of Marc’s past also comes on the scene. Events build to a farcical climax that culminates in a musical number that feels tacked on from another film. The actors execute their roles with vitality and verve and the scenery is gorgeous. I suspect how one reacts to the film will depend on mood and what one finds humorous. In general, I enjoyed the movie, but I could have done without the last musical sequence. Rating: B Viewed at NewFest at the Loews State Theater. |
| Copyright 2005 by C.E. Murphy. All Rights Reserved. |
| Côte d'Azur (2005) (Crustacés et coquillages) [Cockles & Muscles] |
