Un Conte de Noël (A Christmas Tale) (2008)

87% of critics liked it
(114 reviews)
64% of users liked it
(22,863 ratings)

The devastating reverberations of a profound tragedy echo through generations of a long-suffering French family in this emotional family drama from director Arnaud Desplechin. When Abel and his wife, Junon, started a family, it seemed like the seeds of true happiness had been planted. But while… More The devastating reverberations of a profound tragedy echo through generations of a long-suffering French family in this emotional family drama from director Arnaud Desplechin. When Abel and his wife, Junon, started a family, it seemed like the seeds of true happiness had been planted. But while their daughter, Elizabeth, was healthy from the day she was born, things quickly turned dark when her brother Joseph was diagnosed with a rare and deadly genetic condition. Joseph's only hope for survival was a bone marrow transplant, but Abel, Junon, and Elizabeth were all incompatible. In one last, desperate chance to save their son's life, Abel and Junon conceived a third child. But not even little Henri could save his ailing brother's life. Joseph died at the age of seven, and neither his siblings nor his parents have ever found the strength to recover. Years later, family relations have deteriorated beyond the point of repair; the tensions between family matriarch Elizabeth and her cynical brother Henri finally culminating in a violent confrontation in which Elizabeth banishes her alcoholic brother and refuses him further contact with his troubled adolescent nephew, Paul. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Arnaud Desplechin
Written By: Arnaud Desplechin, Emmanuel Bourdieu
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Nov 14, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Nov 10, 2009
Studio: IFC Films

Critic Reviews

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
In this dark comedy everyone is at the end of someone else's strings.
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star
[It] will make anyone dreading the holidays with their family grateful for what strife they may face. It's nothing compared to what the Vuillard clan gets up to.
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
A triumph of willed optimism (or perhaps more accurately, of grudging good nature) over unhappy experiences...
Derek Elley, Variety
Never devolves into a tedious two-and-a-half hours of self-examination. But it also never goes very far, either.
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
Characters occasionally address the camera, which helps disentangle the competing story lines of madness, adultery, and betrayal.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
To tweak Tolstoy: All happy families may be alike, but all unhappy-family movies are entertaining in their own ways.
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
Even Amalric's ray of light can't penetrate the gloom enough to make this much more than a rather strained actors' exercise.
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
... arrives on DVD in a presentation worthy of it.
Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis
The film (has) a sensibility that is paradoxically both old-fashioned and very modern.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
This Christmas, no Arnaud Desplechin fan should be without a Blu-ray player.
Kam Williams, Sly Fox
All that's missing is Jerry Springer refereeing the play-by-play. How do you say, 'on't even go there, girlfriend!'in French?
S. James Wegg, JWR
Till life do us part
Enrique Buchichio, Uruguay Total
Un drama coral y familiar sobre relaciones disfuncionales, viejos rencores, odios y amores, enfermedad y muerte. Puede resultar tan desconcertante e irritante como sorprendente y humana. Lo innegable es la calidad de su elenco.
Marty Mapes, Movie Habit
Controlled chaos of a family reunion highlighed by likeable but flawed characters
Duane Dudek, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A droll and frantic melodrama stripped of aesthetic contrivances but full of emotional ones, and it is affirming in its own way without being particularly cathartic.
Jeffrey Chen, Window to the Movies
Arnaud Desplechin's headfirst dive into the complex relationships within a middle class French family is a messy, captivating, and very much living affair.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
The characters are so nutty that you never know what they will do next. That fact alone kept me interested.
Jay Antani, Cinema Writer
an endlessly busy and stylish film with a hollow emotional and spiritual core.
David Parkinson, Empire Magazine
A compellingly literate exploration of the muddle of misguided motives and lingering regrets that bind families together.
Dave Calhoun, Time Out
You could, of course, forgive the whole enterprise as the extravagances of an intellectual fairytale, but the film's wayward eccentricities outweigh its good performances and breezy telling of a jumble of a plot.

Read all 21 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bruce B

Movie 22 is from the Criterion Collection, right away by being in the Criterion Collection you know the movie is going to be a little strange and it is, about a very dysfunctional family who reunites at Christmas time, Mom is sick with cancer and needs a marrow transplant and of… More
Movie 22 is from the Criterion Collection, right away by being in the Criterion Collection you know the movie is going to be a little strange and it is, about a very dysfunctional family who reunites at Christmas time, Mom is sick with cancer and needs a marrow transplant and of course the hated son is the only compatible donor. If your into Indie films then you will enjoy this if your idea of a great film is something with Will Farrell in it (Elf) then this is not for you. 4 Stars
Nicki M

This is a really well made film with an excellent cast. It is, however, extremely long at around 2 and a half hours, and while interesting, not a whole lot gets resolved. It kind of reminded me of "The family Stone", in French, and with less likeable characters. The… More
This is a really well made film with an excellent cast. It is, however, extremely long at around 2 and a half hours, and while interesting, not a whole lot gets resolved. It kind of reminded me of "The family Stone", in French, and with less likeable characters. The people in this are all extremely flawed and it's a lot to sit there and try and understand some of the motivations. I must admit it did not drag out or feel over long despite it's length, and though I would have liked a few more answers to some things, perhaps it was just not important in the long run.
Tim S

This movie is not for everyone. I'll put it this way, if you thought Magnolia was way too over the top and pretensious, then you will hate this movie from the first frame and should probably just turn it off because it doesn't slow down from it's manic pace one bit.… More
This movie is not for everyone. I'll put it this way, if you thought Magnolia was way too over the top and pretensious, then you will hate this movie from the first frame and should probably just turn it off because it doesn't slow down from it's manic pace one bit. Even to me, there are some stylistic choices that Arnaud Desplechian uses that I found myself rolling my eyes over, but what made me really enjoy this film was the acting and the writing, which I think are some the best I have seen this year. The entire cast is great and each one of them (even the naturalistic kids) give fantastic performances. It's like a Cassavettes film, but stylized and probably one of the most dysfuctional families ever put on film (they are dysfuctional to the point of being confusing in certain parts of the film). Again, not for everyone, but I liked it a lot and thought the ending was beautiful. It's like a soap opera on coke.
Gordon A

French family drama with strong performances but rather too much abstract philosophizing and strange continental angst for me.
Robert C

Great acting (I'd pay to watch Deneuve read from the phone book) and an interesting story. But ultimately it was just too convoluted and left too many unanswered questions for my taste. Wanted to like it more then I did.
Jeff T

This nearly-perfect film is one of the great surprises of the year. Strange, not for everybody, moody and beautifully acted, this not-at-all-American portrait of dysfunction won't leave your head for days. Thank goodness.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "A Christmas Tale," Junon(Catherine Deneuve), the wife of Abel(Jean-Paul Roussillon), a dye factory owner, is diagnosed with anemia. A blood marrow transplant is one of the only courses of treatment but it is just as risky.(I think I might have seen… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "A Christmas Tale," Junon(Catherine Deneuve), the wife of Abel(Jean-Paul Roussillon), a dye factory owner, is diagnosed with anemia. A blood marrow transplant is one of the only courses of treatment but it is just as risky.(I think I might have seen this on an episode of "House.") Not making matters any better is that she has an especially rare blood type and family members would seem to be the only ones who can help. Of her three children, Henri(Mathieu Amalric) is a match but it is never that easy. To start, the only thing he has ever succeeded at is being the black sheep of the family. The eldest, Elizabeth(Anne Consigny), a successful playwright, bailed him out a few years back on the sole condition that he is banished from family functions. On the other hand, maybe they do not have to go with Henri since Elizabeth's son, Paull(Emile Berling), is also compatible but he just suffered a nervous breakdown at the same age his uncle Ivan(Melvil Poupaud) once did. Regardless, Henri is coming to Christmas, bringing along his girlfriend Faunia(Emmanuelle Devos).[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"A Christmas Tale" is wonderfully acted by a great cast. However, it never moves that far beyond its character's disfunctions to establish a solid story despite its epic length. In its three ring circus, a subplot comes out of nowhere in one of the outer rings to compete for attention from the main players.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]I know a family gathering on Christmas usually only serves to heighten tensions but that's not why this movie is set around that time of year. What it is mostly interested in is the notion of a savior, but on a much smaller scale than that of humanity. This goes back to Junon's first son, Joseph, who died of leukemia but no match could be found for him, not even Henri who was conceived as one. Now, everybody has a second chance, especially Henri who could be Junon's savior. And Henri could have his personal savior in Faunia. [/font]
Alec B

For all of its random and strange stylistic choices, a considerable lengthy running time, and general odd ball moments it achieves total immersion in its world for the audience. Its a rare film that allows one the opportunity to get to know a group of people slowly over the films… More
For all of its random and strange stylistic choices, a considerable lengthy running time, and general odd ball moments it achieves total immersion in its world for the audience. Its a rare film that allows one the opportunity to get to know a group of people slowly over the films running time. Its a tale of a bizarre, totally fucked up family . . . but one that loves each other in spite of all the terrible things they have done.
Lesley N

One of those films designed to make you feel better about your own Christmas gathering. A French family, headed by an affable yet inconsequential father and the kind of mother who shouldn't be allowed near anyone's children let alone her own, get together over the festive… More
One of those films designed to make you feel better about your own Christmas gathering. A French family, headed by an affable yet inconsequential father and the kind of mother who shouldn't be allowed near anyone's children let alone her own, get together over the festive season to exchange barbed words and manipulations. With lots of mock-meaningful exchanges, as is the way with lots of French films, it felt like a long two and a half hours. Though not as long as it would have felt if you'd actually lived in that house.
William G

A dense, involving look at a family reluctantly drawn together for the holidays (is there ever any other kind?).
Grifty G

Not near as melodramatic or heavy as Tim had me believe. I was thinking about the movie Interiors right before I watched this, where characters never seem to joke or even smile, just wallow in their depression. This movie, while it had plenty of troubled characters, still had its… More
Not near as melodramatic or heavy as Tim had me believe. I was thinking about the movie Interiors right before I watched this, where characters never seem to joke or even smile, just wallow in their depression. This movie, while it had plenty of troubled characters, still had its dysfunctional family trying to make the best of bad situations for the most part, which makes it feel much more real. I agree with Cody, the main storyline I didn't really buy was the younger brother's wife. I didn't mind the elder sisters character because I'm not sure you're supposed to "like" her. I thought it was interesting that by trying to "save" the family from the selfish middle brother, she herself becomes the the sibling with the most issues. I enjoyed the film, and it had a nice little ending.
cody f

This film really had potential to be a great film, but the director got in the way. Great acting all around, but it's Mathieu Amalric who steals every scene. Every time he is on screen this movie works, and it shows why he is having success away from France. The director Arnaud… More
This film really had potential to be a great film, but the director got in the way. Great acting all around, but it's Mathieu Amalric who steals every scene. Every time he is on screen this movie works, and it shows why he is having success away from France. The director Arnaud Desplechin lets his style get in the way of the story. If he is not Irising every 5 minutes then he jump cuts every 3. The movie looks beautiful and I was interested in all of the characters, but this got annoying after awhile. I would like to see more of the back history of the family and how they became this way. I also didn't like the forced relationship between the cousin and his cousins wife, and didn't care for Anne Cosigney's unhappy and bitchy character as the eldest daughter. This film is worth watching for every scene with Deneuve, Amalric, and his girlfriend.
James B

This film may be too European for most people....including myself. But I still found it captivating, even if I didn't 'get' some of it. The performances are all fantastic, and Desplechin weaves the story of a seriously disfunctional family quite well. I'd certainly… More
This film may be too European for most people....including myself. But I still found it captivating, even if I didn't 'get' some of it. The performances are all fantastic, and Desplechin weaves the story of a seriously disfunctional family quite well. I'd certainly like to watch it again next Christmas and see how I feel then.
Sunil J

I feel like I didn't totally get this movie. I loved the first half and then some of the characters started to confuse me. It was beautifully made and the acting is good all around but I thought the movie introduced some plot points that never were fully addressed.
Richard F

An overwritten, overly long meandering saga overrun by a dizzying amount of unscrupulously whiny and contemptuous characters. Yea, you can say I hated this film.
Sarah P

Don't be mislead by the title...it's not really a Christmas tale or a fun movie to watch at Christmas. But as a film alone, it was interesting and complex.
Quinto W

It's a very pleasant movie, it never bores you and the relationships between the family seem real; it has very interesting ideas, emotions and some truly great scenes. The problem is, however, that it never has a definite tone and most of the time it lingers unfocused without… More
It's a very pleasant movie, it never bores you and the relationships between the family seem real; it has very interesting ideas, emotions and some truly great scenes. The problem is, however, that it never has a definite tone and most of the time it lingers unfocused without something to say.
Tom S

I'm sorry, but I don't know what so many otherwise trustworthy critics saw in this. It was a mess.