Le Prénom (2012)
Directed by Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte

Comedy
aka: What's in a Name

Film Synopsis

Vincent is a thriving real estate agent in his forties who could not be happier when he becomes a father for the first time.  An invitation to have dinner with his sister Élisabeth and her husband Pierre would seem to be an ideal occasion to celebrate his stroke of good fortune, and of course he will be grateful for any advice he is offered by his hosts and old friend Claude, who all seem to be just as excited as he is over his impending paternity.  As ever, Vincent's wife Anna is late for the occasion, so whilst waiting for her to turn up, the father-to-be gets into an amicable conversation with his fellow diners.  Inevitably, there is some friction between Vincent and Pierre - the former is the archetypal bourgeois capitalist, the latter a liberal intellectual - but such is the bonhomie of the occasion that they avoid coming to blows.

Then comes the fateful moment when Vincent is invited to divulge the name he and his wife have chosen for their first born.   The expectant father is proud of his choice - Adolphe.  If Vincent had uttered the filthiest word imaginable he could not have created a greater stir.  Conviviality vanishes in an instant and consternation laced with revulsion takes its place.  By the time Anna finally shows up the amiable family get-together has degenerated into a fierce battle of words, with old differences and recriminations being dug up and hurled around the room like clods of mud.  It turns out that choosing a child's name is a far more fraught matter than either Vincent or Anna had imagined...
© James Travers
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Film Credits

  • Director: Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte
  • Script: Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte (play)
  • Cinematographer: David Ungaro
  • Music: Jérôme Rebotier
  • Cast: Patrick Bruel (Vincent), Valérie Benguigui (Élisabeth), Charles Berling (Pierre), Guillaume de Tonquedec (Claude), Judith El Zein (Anna), Françoise Fabian (Françoise), Yaniss Lespert (Livreur pizza), Miren Pradier (Infirmière bracelet), Alexis Leprise (Apollin), Juliette Levant (Myrtille), Bernard Murat (L'obstétricien)
  • Country: France / Belgium
  • Language: French
  • Support: Color
  • Runtime: 109 min
  • Aka: What's in a Name

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