BABYSITTING

 

North American Premiere • Comedy • France, 2014

DCP • 1:85 • Dolby SRD • Color • 85 min

 

Directed by: Philippe Lacheau, Nicolas Benamou

Written by: Philippe Lacheau, Julien Arruti, Tarek Boudali

Cinematography by: Antoine Marteau

Film Editing by: Olivier Michaut-Alchourroun

Original Score by: Michael Tordjman, Maxime Desprez

Produced by: Marc Fiszman (Madame Films), Christophe Cervoni (Axel Films)

Coproduced by: Good Lap Productions, Cinéfrance 1888

Cast: Philippe Lacheau (Frank), Alice David (Sonia), Vincent Desagnat (Ernest) Tarek Boudali (Sam), Julien Arruti (Alex), Gérard Jugnot (M. Shaudel)

International Sales: Other Angle Pictures

 

In this riotous farce written by three of the members of the French comedy troupe La Bande à Fifi, Franck works a dead-end job at a publishing house. When his boss needs a last minute babysitter for his son Remy, Franck jumps at the chance to show the patron that he’s serious and responsible enough for a promotion. Arriving at the boss’s palatial digs, Franck only needs one look at Remy to know that he’s in for a long weekend, but the adolescent time-bomb is only the start of Franck’s problems after his friends show up to throw an epic blowout for his thirtieth birthday. When the boss returns home, he finds only an apocalyptic mess and a digital camera recording of the night’s monumental mayhem. But where have Franck and Remy gone? With irreverent nods to American comedies from Up to Jackass, this deliriously frenetic family comedy will keep you guessing.

 

Although the central conceit of Babysitting is the comedic spin on the modern storytelling device of found-footage, co-director Nicolas Benamou and actor/co-writer/co-director Philippe Lacheau took their strongest inspiration from Francis Veber’s 1976 film Toys, which satirized the way powerful employers subjugated their employees. The script had long been incubating in the minds of co-writers Philippe Lacheau, Julien Arruti, Tarek Boudali, all actors and writers of La Bande à Fifi, a comedy troupe known for its television work. But it all came together on the set of Paris à tout prix (2013), a film in which all three comedians had roles, and co-director Nicolas Benamou was working as a technical advisor. This is Lacheau’s first feature directing credit. Benamou’s first feature, De l'huile sur le feu (2011) was a black comedy about two feuding family-owned restaurants in Belleville.