It Happened in St Tropez [originally titled Des gens qui s’embrassent] is an entertaining, if a little far-fetched, tale about a couple of years in the life of one extended family.
The event which sets the scene is the sad coincidence that a funeral has to take place on the same weekend as a wedding. Noga (Lou de Laage) is making her way back to France from England for the funeral, her emotions understandably near the surface, when her weeping about her mother attracts the sympathies of a fellow traveller. He asks her advice on a love letter and she feels moved to kiss him before they get off the train. The next day, to her horror, she discovers that the advice-seeking fellow traveller has joined her family.
The next two years are concerned with the brief but explosive meetings between that branch of the family and that of Noga and her father Zef (Eric Elmosnino), whose kosher lifestyle is puzzling to his brother Roni (Kad Merad) and sister-in-law Giovanna (Monica Bellucci).
In It Happened in St Tropez, director Danièle Thompson has created a witty observation on the strangeness of family relations; perfectly capturing the squabbling and obligation which accompanies the tears and frank conversation about life and love. The ending is a bit tame, opting for the safe and schmaltzy happily ever after conclusion, but you will still feel amused by the experience as a whole.
Maryann has awarded It Happened in St Tropez three Torches of Truth
