The best French movies of all time
With the arrival of cold weather, there’s nothing like watching a good movie in the confort of your home. Here’s your chance to discover some cult French movies.
For years, French films have been making their mark on cinema culture.
Here is a selection of timeless classics that have captured the hearts of audiences in France and around the world.
The Best French Movies :
“Le Père Noël est une Ordure” by Jean-Marie Poiré (1982)
Main actors : Thierry Lhermitte, Anémone, Josiane Balasko, Christian Clavier, Gérard Jugnot and Marie-Anne Chazel.
A classic of French comedy, this film recounts the hilarious adventures of the employees of an emergency call center during the Christmas season.
Comic dialogue and memorable characters : must-see comedy.
The film Maker Jean-Marie Poiré completely overturns the cinematic codes of the time to make a film unlike any other. Wacky, zany, abracadabra: there are many adjectives to describe this UFO.
Did you know ? The film is based on a play of the same name, and one of the film’s most famous lines is :
🇬🇧 I hate to break it to you, but you really are just an old sow!
🇫🇷 Je m’excuse de vous le dire, mais vous êtes vraiment qu’une vieille truie !
“La grande vadrouille” by Gérard Oury (1966)
Main actors : Louis de Funès et Bourvil.
Holds the French record for the highest number of admissions. A monument to French humor, “La Grande Vadrouille” features a Louis de Funès who’s more overexcited than ever in Nazi-occupied Paris. Treating the Second World War with scathing humor only twenty years after the fact, it quickly established itself as a French cinema staple.
Did you know ? The film was the greatest success of French cinema, despite the initial challenges posed by the Second World War, which wasn’t necessarily something to smile about in Gaullian France.
“Le Dîner de Cons” by Francis Veber (1998)
Main actors : Thierry Lhermitte, Jacques Villeret et Daniel Prévost.
A cult French comedy that follows a group of friends who organize dinner parties where they invite eccentric individuals to make fun of them. Clever dialogue and misunderstandings are the order of the day.
Did you know ? One of the film’s most memorable scenes features Thierry Lhermitte, who simply explains his guest’s identity by saying ‘il s’appelle juste le blanc,’ an unforgettable sequence that makes both audience and crew laugh.
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“Les Visiteurs” by Jean-Marie Poiré (1993)
Main actors : Christian Clavier, Jean Reno et Marie-Anne Chazel.
Who doesn’t know the lines by heart? A hilarious time-travel movie about a medieval nobleman Godefroy and his servant Jacquouille la Fripouille who find themselves stranded in modern France. The linguistic and cultural differences between the eras make for some comical moments. More than twenty years after its release, “Les Visiteurs” is aging like a fine wine.
Did you know ? It was an improbable project in the first place, for it was during a move in 1990 that Jean-Marie Poiré came across a text he had written during his school years, in which he had laid the foundations for Les Visiteurs. The four-page story had been written during a math class when he was just 17.
“Amélie” (Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain)
by Jean Pierre Jeunet (2001)
Main actors : Audrey Tautou et Mathieu Kassovitz.
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, this iconic film tells the story of Amélie, an imaginative young woman who decides to do good in Paris. It’s a charming story, filled with poetic dialogue and comic situations.
Whether you’re a long-time Parisian or just passing through, explore the iconic filming locations of “Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain.” Rue Lepic in Montmartre, Rue des Trois Frères, Gare de l’Est – you’ll be retracing the steps of this unique adventure. The Café des 2 Moulins, where Amélie works as a waitress, truly exists. Feel free to take a seat at a table in this charming café for a poetic interlude and immerse yourself once again in the magical atmosphere of the film.
“Les Demoiselles de Rochefort” by Jacques Demy (1967)
Main actors : Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac.
A classic French musical that combines music, dance and romance. The story follows two twin sisters as they search for love in the charming town of Rochefort. Memorable songs and dance performances make for an entertaining experience.
During the filming of “Les Demoiselles de Rochefort”, Gene Kelly was impressed by the French actors’ sense of rhythm, particularly that of the Deneuve sisters. He once joked, “The French have dancers’ blood in their veins, while we Americans have ketchup!” This light-hearted remark provoked bursts of laughter on the set, and strengthened the camaraderie between actors of different nationalities.
“Bienvenue chez Les Ch’tis” by Dany Boon (2008)
Main actors : Dany Boon and Kad Merad.
Bienvenue chez les ch’tis (from another France) is France’s second biggest hit after La Grande Vadrouille. It’s the story of Philippe Abrams, a post office manager from the South of France, who is transferred to the North. Fearing a hostile climate, he discovers the warm welcome of the Ch’tis and falls in love. A film full of prejudices about the Ch’tis that makes both adults and children laugh.
The term “Ch’tis” is an informal expression used to refer to the inhabitants of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France. The origin of the term “Ch’tis” is linguistic. In the Picard dialect spoken in this region, residents often say “ch’est” instead of “c’est” in standard French. Thus, “Ch’tis” is an informal contraction of “ch’est.”
“Astérix et Obélix : Mission Cléopâtre”
by Alain Chabat (2002)
Main actors : Gérard Depardieu, Thierry Lhermitte, Monica Bellucci et Jamel Debbouze.
Asterix and Obelix : Mission Cleopatra was a smash hit, and is still going strong today.
Starring the crème de la crème of French cinema at the time, Asterix & Obelix is a comedy in which our Gaulish heroes help Cleopatra build a palace in three months, defying a rival architect. The film is full of humor and madness.
This is Alain Chabat film is by far the best adaptation of the comic strip, the closest to Goscinny’s spirit and right up to date with its delicious puns.
“Intouchables” by Olivier Nakache (2011)
Main actors :François Cluzet et Omar Sy.
This film is a beautiful story of friendship. François Cluzet is paraplegic and has to hire a home help in the person of Omar Sy. Inspired by the life of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo (author of the book “Le Second Souffle”), and Abdel Yasmin Sellou, this feature-length film has brought nearly twenty million French people to tears of laughter, and will even be adapted for the USA.
Did you know ? One of the cult scenes that remains engraved in the minds of the French is the memorable line: “Pas de bras, pas de chocolat”.
And there you have it, a delightful journey through the finest of French cinema. From the uproarious laughter of ‘Le Père Noël est une Ordure’ to the timeless humor of ‘La Grande Vadrouille,’ the clever wit of ‘Le Dîner de Cons,’ and the time-traveling antics of ‘Les Visiteurs,’ these films have become woven into the fabric of French culture. The whimsical charm of ‘Amélie’ and the musical enchantment of ‘Les Demoiselles de Rochefort’ remind us of the beauty in everyday life. ‘Bienvenue chez Les Ch’tis’ challenges preconceptions, while ‘Astérix et Obélix : Mission Cléopâtre’ tickles our funny bone with Gaulish gusto. And finally, ‘Intouchables’ serves as a testament to the power of friendship and laughter.
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