Alive (2004)

User Rating:

3.1/10   

Director:

Frédéric Berthe

Writers:

Ivan Calbérac (adaptation) (dialogue)
Philippe Lyon (writer)

Release Date:

20 October 2004 (Belgium)

Genre:

Musical | Comedy | Drama

Cast

Richard Anconina	...	Alex Meyer
Maxim Nucci	...	Mathieu
Valeria Golino	...	Elisa
Lionel Abelanski	...	José
Laëtitia Lacroix	...	Sabrina
Eric Naggar	...	Jérôme
Véronique Biefnot	...	Anna
Fabienne Darnaud	...	Coralie
Sonia Lacen	...	Agathe
Ginie Line	...	Sandra
Christophe Willem	...	Henri
Emmanuel Dahl	...	Miguel
Side Hajjaji	...	Tony
Laurent Ban	...	Antoine
Frankie Wallach	...	Audrey

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violent content and language.

Runtime:

France:85 min

Country:

France | Belgium

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Brussels, Belgium

Company:

KL Productions

France just can't do it anymore ?

I love "debut films" telling how somebody has passion, works and succeeds : stuff like Billy Elliot, Fame (great and underrated), Flashdance, Beat Streat (also great and underrated)... Some are light, some quite dark (Saturday Night Fever for instance). Most of them talk about music and dance (but Rocky is of the same kind no ?) How much of those movies exist ? hundreds maybe. One country (at least) seems totally unable to produce that kind of movies, and it is mine : France. I can tell titles : "Paroles et musique", "bouge!" and maybe the lamest of all, "Alive" (there is also "le defi", but to be honest I didn't watch it). All those movies talk about a show-business that never existed (that way) in this country : talent, work and struggle for art are not very french I guess. "Alive" is the story of a musical show (but there aren't much of that in France) director who lost his talent when his wife left him. He want to be back, even if his producer refuses to help him and even tries to stop him. The show is lame, the music is lame, maybe the only good point is that one or two singers are good (but not well exploited : the (now famous) talented Christophe Willem appears just a little as a guy called Henri who won't fit...). The editing is unprofessional, with a constant musical background (stop that radio), the romantic plot is ridiculous, all is too fast, and goes without any kind of tension, the audience stays out of that bad soda commercial. Maybe the worst movie I've watched on DVD this year.

If you look for a french "debut movie" that is worth watching, well there is one actually. It's "French Cancan", by Jean Renoir (1955). Cruel and fair.