Un Air De Famille ( Family Resemblances) (1996)

88% of critics liked it
(17 reviews)
89% of users liked it
(3,684 ratings)

In this black comedy from France, a family gathers in a tavern, ostensibly to celebrate a birthday, but poking each other's sore spots turns out to be the main order of business. Henri (Jean-Pierre Bacri) runs a saloon that he inherited from his father called "The Sleepy Dad," and in the near-empty… More In this black comedy from France, a family gathers in a tavern, ostensibly to celebrate a birthday, but poking each other's sore spots turns out to be the main order of business. Henri (Jean-Pierre Bacri) runs a saloon that he inherited from his father called "The Sleepy Dad," and in the near-empty bar, he plays host to several members of the family as they mark the 35th birthday of his sister-in-law, Yolande (Catherine Frot). Henri's sister, Betty (Agnès Jaoui), is 30, single, and not very happy about it; his brother (and Yolande's husband), Phillipe (Vladimir Yordanoff), runs a growing software company; Mother (Claire Maurier) is the siblings' strong-willed matriarch; and Henri's dog is on hand, whom someone describes as "like a rug, but alive." It's not been a good day for most of them: Phillipe is convinced that his business will go out the window as a result of the ugly tie that he wore on television; Betty is depressed about the sad state of her current relationship; Henri has just learned that his wife is leaving him; and Mother is tossing caustic barbs at everyone left and right. Henri's bartender Denis (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) is the one neutral party on hand, and he provides the voice of reason in the midst of the bickering. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Cédric Klapisch
Genres: Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 12, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Jun 15, 1999

Critic Reviews

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
This droll symphony of comic disenchantment is as perfectly balanced and executed as the timepiece of your dreams.
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
An affectionate glimpse at humankind.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
A wonderfully rich and intelligent exploration of family dynamics.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Klapisch's mobile adaptation of the work to the screen is very intelligently carried out in terms of time as well as space.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
A nostalgic reminder of why some of us fell in love with French films in the first place.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
The film begins on a humorous note and goes on to find some universal truths in its family tensions.
Dan Lybarger, Nitrate Online
A charming entry from France.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It is directed by Cedric Klapisch, a former N.Y.U. film student, who has a knack for making films with wry observations regarding relationships
Bruce Kirkland, Jam! Movies
There is something compelling about watching a slice-of-life saga that is so well acted.
David Parkinson, Empire Magazine
The performances are uniformly excellent.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
This series of dialogues is so truthful and is so on-target with its barbs that it's much harder to resist than it sounds.
Bradley Null, Filmcritic.com
If we want to analyze the average family, we can go home for the holidays.
Maria Garcia, Film Journal International
Klapisch's talent with actors is unmistakable, as is his feeling for how to make a dialogue-heavy script appear cinematic.
Arthur Lazere, culturevulture.net
Go see it with a member of your family and you will emerge both better for it and delightfully entertained.

Read all 14 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Emily B

Adapted from the play of the same name by Jean-Pierre Bacri and Agnès Jaoui (who both appear in the film) and it shows. It's not necessarily a bad thing though, just don't expect lots of action. The film basically takes place on one set, a restaurant playing host to a family… More
Adapted from the play of the same name by Jean-Pierre Bacri and Agnès Jaoui (who both appear in the film) and it shows. It's not necessarily a bad thing though, just don't expect lots of action. The film basically takes place on one set, a restaurant playing host to a family gathering, so it's very much dialogue based. But the script is snappy and witty which keeps your interest in a film that otherwise probabaly wouldn't. Overall nice script and nice performances, especially Catherine Frot who was very funny and provided the majority of the humour in the film. The dancing to Patti Smith scene was also cute.

Cast

            Jean-Pierre Bacri as Henri

            Jean-Pierre Darroussin as Denis

            Catherine Frot as Yolande

            Agnès Jaoui as Betty

            Claire Maurier as Mother

            Vladimir Yordanoff as Philippe

            Peter Tuesday as Caruso The Dog

            Cédric Klapisch as The Father 1967

            Sophie Simon as The Mother 1967

            Antoine Chappey as Neighbour

            Romain Legrand as Kevin Philippe's Son

            Zinedine Soualem as CafÃ© Customer

            Alain Guillo as The TV Presenter

            Denis Falgoux as CafÃ© Customer

            Chantal Gouard as Mother's Friend

            Viviane Ordas as Mother's Friend

            Aurelie Ranacle as Betty 1967

            Nicolas Taieb as Henri 1967

            Ludovic Taieb as Philippe 1967

            Hugo Charpiot as MikaÃ«l Philippe's Son

            Walter Debeigh as CafÃ© Customer

            Albert Parisio as CafÃ© Customer

            Elmoez Jalouli as Youths At Housing Project

            Olivier Rageoonauth as Youths At Housing Project

            Louis Espert as Youths At Housing Project

            Alexandre Garcia as Youths At Housing Project

            Lyamin Jamel as Youths At Housing Project

            Diatta Ibrahima as Youths At Housing Project

            Yann Brunelles as Youths At Housing Project

            Christophe Bademis as Youths At Housing Project

            Stéphane Pouillade as Youths At Housing Project

            Patricia Eridan as Youths At Housing Project
See full cast

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!

Discover movies your friends are watching
Keep track of what you want to see
Add your reviews to your Timeline

Get Started

Un Air De Famille ( Family Resemblances) (1996)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Emily B

Cast

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!