When most people think of French cinema, particular trademarks come to mind: sombre, plainly shot films that deal with serious subject matter such as Hidden and La Haine. Or the other extreme - colourful, wildly imaginative visual treats like Amelie or Mood Indigo.
Samba
Aside from the Oscar-winning The Artist and Amelie, the term 'Feel good' is typically reserved for British films based on true stories (The Full Monty, Pride) and tried and test feel-good formula films churned out by the glossy Hollywood machine month after month.
Below are 5 great examples of Feel good French films that buck the trend and are sure to lift you up on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
- The Closet (2001)
To prevent an imminent firing at work, you simply have to pretend to be gay. Right? At least that is the answer for Francois Pignon - who spreads the rumour of his fake homosexuality with the aid of his neighbour, hoping the company will look homophobic if they fire him.
The charade is pretty hilarious and brings out the best and the worst in his colleagues. A side splitting French comedy you'll no doubt revisit time and time again.
While The Closet does have some very funny moments, it is also a movie that is quite thought provoking and asks some very interesting questions. The film's human moments are the ones that you remember most and the director never loses sight of those.
Francis Veber strikes the perfect balance between story and humour, while Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu are just two of the actors who really are on top form throughout.
- Welcome To The Sticks (2008)
A French postal worker from Provence is banished from the warmth of his hometown to relocate temporarily to Bergues in the far North: as punishment for faking a disability. Strongly prejudiced against this cold and inhospitable place, he leaves his family behind to there, with the firm intent to quickly come back.
Philippe eventually finds to his surprise that he enjoys life in Bergues, and begins to love the community and its people, even growing infatuated a beautiful letter carrier.
With strong comedic performances, refreshing look at French life and self-deprecating humour it was little wonder the comedy broke box office records in its homeland.
Welcome to the Sticks was only the second feature film for director Dany Boon and yet he delivers a movie that does feel fresh. While there is heart and sentiment to this film, Boon has managed to stay the right side of sticky-sweet and strike that perfect balance. On top of that, Welcome to the Sticks does teach us a very important lesson... don't make assumptions about people and be quick to judge them.
- Heartbreaker (2010)
The always dapper and effortlessly cool Romain Duris, plays Alex, who along with his sister and brother-in-law runs a business designed to break up relationships in this They think they've hit the jackpot when they're are hired by a wealthy businessman to break up the wedding of his daughter (Vanessa Paradis) and her hunky husband.
The only problem is that they only have one week to do so and in that time, Alex discovers to his own cost that when it comes to love, the perfect plan doesn't exist. Heartbreaker feels like "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days," only funnier, fresher and French. And most importantly: feel-good.
What makes this film so great is that it never really takes itself very seriously - director Pascal Chaumeil and the actors are clearly having a lot of fun with this project.
The movie marked the debut feature for Chaumeil and he delivered a film that has a lot of charm and is a rom-com that is completely different to those made by Hollywood.
- Untouchable (2010)
An irreverent, uplifting comedy about friendship, trust, and human possibility, Untouchable - like Welcome To The Sticks - broke box office records in its native France and also across Europe.
Based on a true story of friendship between a quadriplegic millionaire (Francois Cluzet) and his street-smart ex-con caretaker played by the irresistibly charming Omar Sy, Untouchable depicts an unlikely friendship rooted in honesty and humour between two individuals who seemingly have nothing in common.
Untouchable went on to warm hearts around the world and challenged even the hardest of us to not cry. Untouchable was one of the most talked about movies of 2012 as Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano teamed up to write and direct - it was also one of the best films to hit the big screen that year.
Tackling physical disability on film can be tricky but it great to see the directors produce a movie that is not all doom and gloom. This is just one of those really great feel good movies about an unlikely friendship that triumphs through adversity.
François Cluzet and Omar Sy are perfectly cast as Philippe and Driss and this is a movie and a story were these two fine actors have really been allowed to shine.
- Samba (2015)
Omar Sy yet again proves to be a magnet for our affection, playing a Senegalese immigrant plugging away at various lowly jobs, in a bid to stay under the radar and avoid the authorities. Samba is caught and encounters caseworker Alice at the immigration centre.
Alice is a senior executive who recently suffered a burnout; seeking solace in voluntary work at the immigration centre. Desperate, Samba seeks the charity's help to get the working papers that will allow him to stay in the country he now calls home. Both Alice and Samba struggle to improve their lives and fate draws them together, down an unlikely path that will change them both irreparably.
Also starring arthouse favourite Tahar Rahim (A Prophet), Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano's directorial follow up to Untouchable combines humour and heart in equal measure. Samba and Alice's story is a touching, contemporary look at issues - both personal and within our society - but with a lightness and soul to melt even the hardest of hearts.
