GET WELL SOON / Bon rétablissement!
West Coast Premiere • Comedy • France, 2014
DCP • 1.85 • Dolby 5.1 • Color • 81 min
Directed by: Jean Becker
Written by: Jean Becker, Jean-Loup Dabadie, Marie-Sabine Roger
Based on the original novel by: Marie-Sabine Roger
Cinematography: Jean-Claude Larrieu
Film Editing: Jacques Witta, Franck Nakache
Original Score: Nathaniel Méchaly
Produced by: Louis Becker (Ice 3), KJB Productions, SND Groupe M6
Cast: Gérard Lanvin (Pierre), Fred Testot (Maxime), Jean-Pierre Darroussin (Hervé), Swann Arlaud (Camille), Daniel Guichard (Serge)
International Sales: SND Groupe M6
Gérard Lanvin is shrewdly cast as Pierre, a retiree with a misanthropic disposition and an alley cat where a best friend should be. After a strange accident on the banks of the Seine, the likeably unlikable curmudgeon is forced to endure a month in a hospital bed. The casts and the catheters present no obstacle to Pierre’s favorite pastime. However, he is soon wagging fingers at everything from the regimented mealtimes to the problems with today’s youth. Just wanting to be left alone, instead a constant parade of nurses, doctors, police inspectors and his cigarette-supplying brother Hervé makes Pierre feel like an exhibit at the zoo. Even worse, it’s also beginning to make him feel more human than he’s felt in a long, long time.
As the son of French filmmaking legend Jacques Becker, writer/director Jean Becker is steeped in cinematic tradition. Those who are familiar with his recent work such as the critically acclaimed My Afternoons With Margueritte (COLCOA 2011) and Conversations With My Gardener (2007) will recognize his gentle, crowd-pleasing style of dramedy. After an early period noted for several successful collaborations with Jean-Paul Belmondo, Becker did not make a feature for 17 years. In 1983, the triumphant Isabelle Adjani vehicle One Deadly Summer marked his return to cinema. The film was nominated for a Palme D’Or and went on to win César Awards for Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay (with co-writer Sébastien Japrisot). This latest effort was adapted in collaboration with the author of the original book Marie-Sabine Roger, and features the sharp dialogue of Jean-Loup Dabadie.
Quotes:
“Rather like a bowl of cinematic chicken soup the way grandma used to make it.”
- Jordan Mintzer HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“It is the central performance in Get Well Soon that makes the film worth watching.”
- James Travers FRENCH FILM SITE