3 Films That Show Paris At Its Best

  • 7 juin 2017
  • Paris sous tous les angles
  • Theatre in Paris contributor

Our favourite entertainment indulgments when you just need to see Paris on the big screen

Whether you’re interested in brushing up on your French or looking for a reason to stay in tonight, here are 3 French films you need to watch. Now!

Le Prénom

1. Le Prénom (2012)

Known as “What’s in a Name” in English, this comedy will have you doubled over in stitches as you watch a seemingly normal family dinner turn into a hysterical catastrophe…all because of a name. When Vincent (Patrick Bruel), a father-to-be, reveals to his family and friends that he and his wife plan on giving their son a rather unorthodox name, everyone reacts less enthusiastically and more incredulously. This ignites a series of chaotic banter that you are sure to laugh at and love.

Directors Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière, who collaborated together for “Le Prénom,” both have written a variety of Theatre in Paris shows that have played at Theatre Édouard VII here in Paris, too. They even wrote one of our previous shows, “Tout ce que vous voulez” which played at Theatre Édouard VII back in 2016. Très cool!

L'Auberge Espagnole

2. L’Auberge Espagnole (2002)

If you have ever studied or lived abroad, you are sure to relate with the multicultural craziness that “L’Auberge Espagnole” captures. In this film, a French grad student, Xavier, travels to Barcelona for an Erasmus program. Here, he gets an apartment that is filled with a mélange of many other students, cultures, and languages. The movie follows the friends’ relationships and all of its ups and downs during Xavier’s year abroad. Think of an international “Friends” with fewer laughing tracks.

Romain Duras, the actor who plays Xavier, starred in the 2007 film titled "Molière," as Molière himself. You can get your own taste of Molière with two of our showsMolière’s The Miser and Molière in Spite of Myself!

The Artist

3. The Artist (2011)

This black-and-white-style film is sure to be a pleasant change from your usual movie queue. Set in the late 1920s, “The Artist” is a sort of romantic-comedy-drama that follows George Valentin, a famous silent film star, and Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), an aspiring actress. After the two bump into each other at a movie premiere, the plot unravels as one star rises to fame and the other plunges to a downfall. If you remember the 2011 movie award season at all, you are sure to recognize how much critical acclaim this film (rightfully) got.

Bérénice Bejo (Jean DuJardin), who we talk about in our blog post here, also performed in “Tout ce que vous voulez” at Théâtre Édouard VII. What a small world!

Done brushing up on your French films? See some of the bigscreen stars LIVE on stage in a historic Parisian playhouse!