La Belle Epoque

A nice idea, with the excellent Auteuil and Ardant in a burnt-out marriage, where a spark or two can still be found. And the parallel story of the other couple, who are younger and have much more frequent rows because they lack years of experience is also fine. It's romantic in the French way, so infidelity is treated as par for the course. IN A NUTSHELL: How to resurrect old feelings using old tricks. (02/05/2023)

Although this slightly bitter comedy La Belle Epoque takes some time to get going, once Daniel Auteuil sheds his greying beard and becomes a charming dandy in his prime again, the nostalgic story gains momentum and things start to happen... Now hand on heart, who among us wouldn't want to go back to the time when they met the love of their life and the world looked so carefree? I certainly did, which means I just had to like this movie. (80%) (18/10/2022)

A beautiful, moving and original French film. Daniel Auteuil receives a gift voucher from an agency that can transport their clients to any historical period and allow them to meet any personality. The protagonist decides that he would like to relive his first date with his wife in the 1970s. Once again the French are very original and creative, the humour was tamer, but it was worth it for the great acting (Doria Tillier is excellent!), the magical atmosphere and the good dose of emotion. A nice film to watch. Story****, Action>No, Humor***, Violence>No, Entertainment****, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Suspense>No. 7/10. (06/05/2020)

Today's hectic times are not for everyone. While Marianne rejects ageing and lives in symbiosis with technological progress, her husband Victor does not understand the modern world, nor does he find meaning or fulfilment in it, but thanks to his son, he gets the chance to return to the past. Don't expect spaceships, light-speed travel to distant dimensions, or star portals. All it takes are sets, precisely instructed actors and a meticulous director who will drive everyone crazy just to ensure the perfect authenticity of the situation and thus your satisfaction. All Victor needs to do is to chose the era and a specific moment, and he chooses a particular week in the 1970s when he met the love of his life, Marianne – he’s going back to his own Belle Époque. The rest is something you should see. The performances cannot fail to entertain – Daniel Auteuil as the likable but jaded Victor, Fanny Ardant as the vivacious and sassy Marianne, Guillaume Canet as the choleric and pedantic director Antoine, and last but not least Doria Tillier as the talented and charming actress Margot, who plays the young Marianne in Victor's Belle Époque. This film overflows with wit, but also a pleasant melancholy, while delivering a great range of emotions as well. Nicolas Bedos has undoubtedly enriched the world of comedy with this novel and fresh premise. (15/02/2020)

When your gray hair and wrinkles start to become impossible to overlook, technology steals your livelihood and the feeling of not understanding the world around you anymore triumphs, you start to mentally go back to your youth, when your wife hadn't slept with your friend yet and didn't show that you were a burden to her and she would rather kick you out of the apartment. Back to the time when worries didn't plague you and the future looked great. What will your reaction be to the offer of becoming someone else or going back to any past time? No, don't worry, it's not sci-fi and you won't be time traveling. It's just a clever commercial project, where a film studio and a group of actors will arrange an encounter with your revived dream. Maybe even with the love of your life (they can handle much more difficult tasks, after all). The film has everything that a commercially successful and quality film should have. A clever and original idea, an excellent script, and a great cast. The old guard, led by Auteuil and Fanny Ardant, enjoys the role-playing and their younger colleagues keep pace with them. La Belle Epoque is a playful romantic comedy and at the same time a story set in the filmmaking environment, where the screenwriter and director is a god and his desires (almost) a law. Doria Tillier proves that the supply of beautiful, charismatic, and talented actresses in France is practically inexhaustible. Overall impression: 90%. (23/11/2019)