Product Details

• Actors: Michel Serrault, Claudine Auger, Catherine Alric, Judith Magre, Bernard Haller
• Directors: René Gainville
• Writers: René Gainville, Jean-Claude Carrière, Jenaro Prieto
• Producers: René Gainville, Simone Allouche
• Format: Color, Subtitled, NTSC
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: First Run Features
• VHS Release Date: March 4, 1997
• Run Time: 94 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304381034
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #362,970 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspired an American remake... and was better, of course, December 18, 2006

By 

goosefish (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Associate (L'Associe / Mein Partner Davis) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

You can add this movie to a long list: foreign movies that were good enough to inspire US remakes. And as usual, the original was better.

Here, we have a male protagonist, vs. female. The poor fellow finds himself being squeezed out of his advertising firm, with his boss using the tired scapegoat excuse: "what can I do? my hands are tied; my ASSOCIATE insists that you leave." What associate???

The idea of an influential yet invisible associate captivates our victim. Why not employ such an illusion too? Before long, he's jet-setting about, getting calls from Paris' elite, even the Finance Minister and the Pope. There's no limit to what can be accomplished when your partner stands atop an infinite pedestal.

Here is where this film diverges from the modern remake. We proceed to explore the elevated theme of business illusion, while Whoopi pursues a story more along the lines of gender and racial discrimination. The man in this story is not fighting prejudice; he's exploiting high society's weakest foible. It's a case of Ali Baba gaining access to untold riches simply by uttering the words "open sesame" -- only in this case, it's "my associate".

I often feel that there's a fine line between success in business, and utter failure. This movie proves it. Entirely plausible, it's the story of how little it takes to succeed.

-Did I mention the catchy jingle? The soundtrack is great.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great movie , well done., June 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Associate (L'Associe / Mein Partner Davis) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The French version is better on the screenpaly when the US version ( by Whoopie Goldberg) is better on the technical side and affects and so one. The story is grat I loved it in the both versions, but I think the script in the french version is better. Dont miss this grat move one of the best movies I have ever seen.