Bienvenue Chez les Ch'tis (Welcome to the Land of Shtis) (Welcome to the Sticks) (2008)
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71% of critics liked it
(7 reviews) -
78% of users liked it
(21,668 ratings)
A man born and raised on France's Southern coast is exiled to the Northern territories in this comedy from actor, director and screenwriter Dany Boon. Philippe Abrams (Kad Merad) helps run the post office in a picturesque small town in the South of France, Salon de Provence. Philippe's wife… More A man born and raised on France's Southern coast is exiled to the Northern territories in this comedy from actor, director and screenwriter Dany Boon. Philippe Abrams (Kad Merad) helps run the post office in a picturesque small town in the South of France, Salon de Provence. Philippe's wife Julie (Zoe Felix) has been down in the dumps, and he thinks one way to lift her spirits would be to relocate to the more glamorous surroundings of the Cote d'Azur. However, Philippe's attempts to finagle a transfer (by pretending that he is handicapped) fail, and when the ruse is discovered, he ends up being punished with a forced relocation to Bergues, a village in Northern France that lies stuck between Belgium and the English Channel. In this area, the indigenes speak a language known as Picard - an amalgam of French, Flemish and Latin - and Philippe essentially perceives the region as the "Siberia of France." With misery in his heart, he dons extreme winter clothing and trudges off to his new post, saying goodbye to Julie and their son, who opt to stay behind. To make matters worse, not long after arriving in Bergues, Philippe nearly runs over a man while driving home drunk -- who turns out to be one of his new colleagues at the post office, But Philippe eventually finds to his surprise that he enjoys life in Bergues, and begins to love the community and its people, even growing infatuated with Annabelle (Anne Marivin), a beautiful letter carrier. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Dany Boon
- Written By
- Dany Boon, Alexandre Charlot
- Genres
- Comedy
- In Theaters
- Feb 8, 2008 Wide
- Studio
- Christal Films
Critic Reviews
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Kamal Al-Solaylee, Globe and Mail
There's nothing revolutionary or artistically groundbreaking here, but there's something reassuring in the fact that this is what the French have anointed as their biggest hit. Vive la (low-key) différence.
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Greg Quill, Toronto Star
[Dany] Boon tinkers with the formula just enough to make his story fresh and the sentiment at its heart not too sweet, though compounded contrivances in the last 30 minutes of the picture threaten to unravel its peculiar magic.
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Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses
den mporeis kai ola na ta katalabaineis ap' aytin tin farsokomodia poy den stereitai ekstatikon empneyseon sti domi, ektos ki an ta 'heis zisei apo konta
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Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
Welcome to the Sticks is the most successful movie ever released in France, possibly because self-deprecating humour is so rare there.
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Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile
In this comedy about misconceptions, love and true friendship, Danny Boon gives us an enjoyable lesson in avoiding making assumptions about people
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Kad Merad
as Philippe Abrams
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Dany Boon
as Antoine Bailleul
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Zoé Félix
as Julie Abrams
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Anne Marivin
as Annabelle Deconninck
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Philippe Duquesne
as Fabrice Canoli
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Guy Lecluyse
as Yann Vandernoot
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Patrick Bosso
as Policeman 'A7'
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Michel Galabru
as Julie's Great-Uncle
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Stephane Freiss
as Jean Sabrier
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Zinedine Soualem
as Momo
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Line Renaud
as Madame Bailleul (Antoine's Mother)
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Lorenzo Ausilia Foret
as Raphaël Abrams, Raphaël Abrams, Rapha?l...
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Jerome Commandeur
as Inspector Lebic
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Alexandre Carrière
as Tony Annabelle's Lover
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Fred Personne
as Monsieur Vasseur
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Franck Andrieux
as Monsieur Leborgne
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Jean-Christoph Herbeth
as Monsieur Mahieux
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Jean-Pierre Picotin
as Monsieur Tizaute
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Jenny Clève
as Grandma Quinquin
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Claude Talpaert
as Granpa Quinquin
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Sylvia Goudal
as Post Office Customer
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Yael Boon
as Angry Post Office Customer
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Christophe Rossignon
as Brasserie Waiter
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Maryline Delbarre
as Martine De Momo
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Guillaume Morand
as Old Colleague of Philipe's
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Yann Kônigsberg
as Jean's Salon Colleage 2
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Nadege Beausson-Diagne
as Salon Employee
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Jean-François Elberg
as Service Station Employee
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Eric Bleuzé
as Man on Moped
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Bruno Tuchszer
as Bregues Policeman 1
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Mickaël Angele
as Bar Owner in Mining Town
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Patrick Cohen
as Customer Thrown Out of Bar
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Louisette Douchin
as Woman with Mussels
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Jean-Marc Vauthier
as Miner
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Cedric Magyari
as Miner
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Laetitia Maisonhaute
as Jean's Secretary
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Suzy Pillou
as Woman at Julie's Great-Uncles House
- Lorenzo Ausilia-Foret