COTE D’AZUR (Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau). 90 minutes. Subtitled. Opens Friday (June 10). For venues and times, see Movies, page 115. Rating: NNN Rating: NNN
Sun, sex and silliness on the French Riviera. What’s not to like about Cote D’Azur , the latest by Funny Felix filmmakers Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau ?
Family man Marc ( Gilbert Melki ) has brought his wife, Beatrix ( Valeria Bruni Tedeschi ), and teenaged kids to the Mediterranean family cottage where he spent many summers years earlier. When their long-haired, antisocial son Charly’s ( Romain Torres ) cute friend Martin ( Edouard Collin ) comes for a visit, the couple start wondering if Charly is gay. Suddenly, secrets of all sorts start tumbling out of the house’s multiple closets.
There are plenty of cute, campy moments, including some bizarre – and not entirely successful – musical interludes. At one moment it looks like the directors are going to offer up a queer American Beauty, with the dad lusting after the son’s friend. No dice. Instead, they navigate middle-class French tastes as carefully as the gay characters navigate the cruisy sand dunes.
Fresh performances by the whole bunch, especially the vibrant Bruni Tedeschi as the sex-positive, liberal wife who’s getting some on the side with a libidinous guy who spends much of the film wearing nothing but a cellphone.
As sparkling and easy on the tastebuds as a good rose.
