Happily Ever After (2004)

Wonderful character development!

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

The acting in this movie is really good.

This is one of the more interesting and clever French films of recent times. Yes, it dips into cliché and stereotype territory occasionally, but the dialogue and complex relationships between the actors keep it fresh and enjoyable to the end. Though intended to be just about guys of a certain age and their romantic problems (see Attal's interview in the DVD bonus features), I would say the women steal the show in many ways. Charlotte Gainsbourg is truly wonderful and delivers a very emotional, multi-dimensional performance. Ditto for the beautiful Angie David, playing Attal's mistress. But watch out for Emmanuelle Seigner! She is hilarious as Alain Chabat's ball-busting wife, and deserves to have her screen-time doubled at least. (Indeed, though this film is a sensitive treatment of the serious subject of the pain of infidelity, there are several moments where one loses one's breath laughing.) Attal adds interesting, unusual elements, such as the periodic food/water fights with his wife and Johnny Depp's superb cameos, and overall does a commendable job with the script.Analytic sidebar: Reading between the lines, it appears that this film is intended to convey the message that having a mistress is okay, and the alternate ending (DVD bonus features again) reveals Attal cagily continuing his affair to the end (though this ending did not test well - tellingly - and was changed for the final release). Attal reveals in the bonus interview that he purposely portrayed his wife as a wonderful, understanding, gem of a woman and yet wanted to show that it was still also okay for his character to have a mistress. This adds an extra splash of perverse pathos to the film - Attal writing a script about how it's okay for him to have a mistress, and then casting his own wife in the role of his on-screen wife. Ouch. A bit self-serving in retrospect (though, to be fair, never creeping into Woody Allen territory). Stiff upper lip, Charlotte.In sum, a fine film, innovative in pleasant ways, and full of great performances.

There are other reviews on this site that discuss this movie's finer plot themes, etc. However I write this my first review because I felt so compelled by the look of this movie. This movie will truly delight eyes and ears and for sure worth its rental fee. There is one particular scene, a sort of transitional fade from flowering colors to the character, that is particularly beautiful. I went back to it again and again when the movie was over. The film is kind of an impressionist painting in which the characters come to life upon. A great and modern musical score adds to the film's vibrant look. Add a nice bottle of wine and dinner on the coffee table to make the best of your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

This is the third film from triple-threat (Writer-Director-Actor) Yvan Attal and arguably his best. Once again he has cast his real-life partner (they have just had a child) Charlotte Gainsbourg as his screen wife and cast fellow triple-threat wda Alain Chabat as his best friend. Whilst Vincent (Attal) and Gabrielle (Gainsbourg) have a seemingly ideal marriage Georges (Chabat) and Nathalie (Emmanuelle Seigner) are more tempestuous and Nathalie's nagging is ever present. Both couples have a child hence the title, They Were Married And Had Many Children, which is also the French equivalent of the fairy-tale ending 'and so they lived happily ever after'. The third man, Fred (Alain Cohen) is single and has no shortage of girls. This is the broad outline. The twist, such as it is requires Fred to envy the married state, Vincent to lead a double life that fools even Georges and Fred and Georges, the logical one to cheat on a nagging wife to be faithful. Most of the five principals are virtually unknown outside France - Chabat appeared in 'Le Gout des Autres', Attal in 'Bon Voyage' - but Anouk Aimee who plays Vincent's mother is certainly known if only for 'A Man And A Woman' whilst Berri, of course, directed 'Jean de Florette' and 'Manon des Sources'. Attal has done a workmanlike job of exploring male bonding - the men spend hours playing football - and precarious relationships and it's the kind of film that can find an audience abroad. 7/10

Once again, Yvan Attal brings us his exploration into temptation. His previous film, 'Ma Femme est une Actress', was a dark comedy about a man paranoid that his actress wife (Charlotte Gainsbourg) was being bedded by her leading actors. Gainsbourg returns as Attal's on screen wife for this, his second feature. Infidelity is the main topic of discussion as we follow three friends and their lives, which seem to revolve around sex, or lack thereof. Like a modern update of Yves Robert's 'Pardon Mon Affaire', Attal's use of humor helps placate the true sadness of the storyline.Vincent (Attal) and Georges (Chabat) are both married with a child. Vincent has, what his two friends perceive as, a happy marriage. He has a beautiful wife, Gabrielle, and a playful child. If they argue, it is quickly defused, and life is loving again. George, on the other hand, is constantly arguing with his nagging wife (Seigner), much to the chagrin of the quiet, East Indian neighbors. George is jealous of Fred (Cohen), the swinging bachelor who is constantly juggling a schedule of liaisons with a selection of beautiful women. George would love nothing better than to leave his wife, or at the very least, have an affair. But he doesn't have the guts, and if truth were told, he really does love her. Ironically, it is Fred who is jealous of his friends, as he longs for the commitment in a steady relationship. (WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD)But as we quickly discover, all is not perfect in paradise, as we see Vincent is having an affair unbeknownst to not only his wife, but also his friends. Gabrielle soon has a feeling about her husband's infidelity, but does not confront him, hoping instead that he will work it out of his system. We as the audience hope so too, since Vincent begins to come across as the cad destined to screw things up. There doesn't seem to be a rational reason for his straying, other than perhaps a change of scenery or the sexual excitement of a tryst. As in 'Actrice', we see one partner's paranoia for the other's fidelity. This time, it's the female perspective as Gabrielle, on a holiday with her son, considers the possibility of an affair herself. Thrown into all this is a few interesting cameo appearances – Producer/ Director Claude Berri (Manon Des Sources) and Anouk Aimee (Un homme et une femme) play Vincent's parents, and Johnny Depp, who's dialogue-free encounter with Gainsbourg in a music store is rife with sexual tension and desire.I found the film very enjoyable. Not completely a romantic comedy, but like 'Actrice' Attal reigns in both the humor and the drama to give a balancing act of non-judgmental reality. The soundtrack literally rocks, as Radiohead, Cinematic Orchestra, Cousteau, and the Velvet Underground help get Attal's message across. (Methinks he was a music video director in another life.)Highly recommended. 7/10(Note: The direct translation of the title, 'They Married and Had Lots of Children', differs from the English title '…And They Lived Happily Ever After' given.)