Dialogue avec mon jardinier (Conversations with My Gardener) (2007)

100% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(2,353 ratings)

Two men find themselves sharing a lifetime of experiences and observations over the course of a summer in this low-key comedy-drama from France. After the death of his mother, an artist (Daniel Auteuil) well known for his nature studies inherits his family's vacation house in the country. The artist… More Two men find themselves sharing a lifetime of experiences and observations over the course of a summer in this low-key comedy-drama from France. After the death of his mother, an artist (Daniel Auteuil) well known for his nature studies inherits his family's vacation house in the country. The artist notices that the house's once-impressive vegetable garden has fallen into neglect, and he hires a local gardener to put it back into shape. To his great surprise, the gardener (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) turns out to be an old friend from his school days, and as the gardener gets to work, he and the artist talk about where their lives have gone since they last saw one another. Over the next several months, the gardener and the painter chat about life, love, work, family, vegetables and anything else that crosses their minds as they casually pass along their life's stories and what they learned along the way under the warmth of the summer sun. Dialogue Avec Mon Jardinier (aka Conversations With My Gardener) was adapted from the memoirs of artist Henri Cueco. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 48 min.
Directed By: Jean Becker
Written By: Jean Cosmos, Jean Becker
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 6, 2007 Wide

Critic Reviews

David Jenkins, Time Out
Slight but very pleasant to sit through.
Tom Dawson, Film4
This two-hander may not take many formal risks but it remains a gentle, humane work that's beautifully acted by Auteuil and Darroussin.
Kevin Maher, Times [UK]
Conversations with My Gardener is an affectionate rural French character piece that is mercilessly devoid of any message other than an appreciation of close friendship and the simple rustic pleasures of kippers and fresh vegetables.
Cath Clarke, Guardian [UK]
These are two very good actors and they do well to get over some shocking script cliches of the artistic variety as Auteuil earnestly instructs his old friend on the creative process.
David Gritten, Daily Telegraph
Such life lessons could clearly seem maudlin and patronising. But director Jean Becker and his two excellent leads opt for understatement, and the film finally achieves a subtle triumph - a mood that is both celebratory and bittersweet.
Tim Evans, Sky Movies
A sweet-natured, truthful tale, this one is definitely a grower.
Derek Malcolm, This is London
This is simply made, well acted and in the end movingly able to show us how two totally different men cleave to each other.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Engaging, beautifully acted and ultimately moving drama, though the pacing and general lack of plot are occasionally frustrating.
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
Two outstanding performances and marvelously written dialogue make "Conversations with my Gardener" so engrossing that the picture is well on its way before one recognizes its time worn formula.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
Director Jean Becker and his cast and equally talented crew give us a simple and elegant masterpiece about the love shared by two friends.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
An intimate, revealing and moving portrait of two men, the joys of Conversations With My Gardener lie in the exchanges between Daniel Auteuil's painter and Jean-Pierre Darroussin's gardener. It is a pleasure to watch two of the veterans of French Cinema a
Boyd van Hoeij, european-films.net
Anyone expecting huge explosions and frenetic car chases might be disappointed, but it will satisfy those looking for an intimate drama in which the conversation is at least a tad more sophisticated than "Letsgetoudahere!"

Read all 12 critic reviews

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Juli R

This is a gentle film about two school friends who are reunited and spend a summer talking to each other about where their lives have gone. The film is driven by dialogue and is in many ways quintessentially French--a disillusioned French artist on the verge of divorce philosophizes… More
This is a gentle film about two school friends who are reunited and spend a summer talking to each other about where their lives have gone. The film is driven by dialogue and is in many ways quintessentially French--a disillusioned French artist on the verge of divorce philosophizes about life with his gardener. On the surface it is as simple as a glass of wine on a Sunday afternoon. But somehow it sustains itself to explore a long-standing friendship.