Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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41 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Coming of age adventure at Brittany's Beaches..., July 3, 2003
During the late 50s Frédérique and Sophie, two sisters 13 and eight years old, are sent with a governess to spend their summer in Brittany. Their parents never disclose why they are not going to Brittany with them, but the secret cannot be kept from the children. As the film unfolds the children commit several shenanigans when failing parental supervision surrounds them, however, one day Frédérique trips on the secret of why the parents did not come with them to Brittany it changes her view of life. C'est La Vie is an interesting "coming of age" film where the audience follows the summer of two young girls containing friends, love, adventure, and betrayal. The story intrigues through humor and tragedy, which ends up being a pleasing cinematic experience.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaing coming of age story, April 22, 2005
I saw this movie back in the mid 90's on Bravo, before it sold out and went commercial. I really enjoyed this film, it is very simple and believable, I felt I was on holiday with this family. This is like as Sunday afternoon movie you would put on and relax and watch.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Faded Goldfish, May 21, 2008
Set in late 1950s France, C'est la Vie is centered upon the loveless marriage shared by the workhorse Michel and his wife Lena who seems to have found a new lover who is almost twenty years her junior. Planning on going to Brittany, France for summer vacation, Lena tricks her children Frédérique and Sophie to go alone to their destination with their young nanny Odette before she and her husband depart. Less than thrilled to be traveling alone with their nanny and disliking the summer home of Mr. Ruffier, who sets up a number of rules and who along with his wife stay in the home's basement, Frédérique and Sophie rebel against Odette by doing such things as ignoring her and tossing their laxatives, it seems their parents want them to poop twice a day, into the fish tank. Their summer might have been truly unbearable if it was not for the fact that their mother's longtime friend Bella and her family had not come to vacation in Brittany.
Frédérique, our narrator, is a budding young woman whose newfound sexuality is slowly seeping into her life mainly through the figure of Bella's son Daniel who she has a major crush on. However, after Daniel kisses her for the first time, she loses interest in him and spends a good portion of her time writing in her diary and playing with her sister Sophie who is busy discovering the differences between male and females with Rene, Daniel's younger brother. Things improve in the vacation home when Lena arrives, but where is Michel? Also, it seems that Jean-Claude, Lena's lover, has proposed to her and asked her to accompany him to America? Will she go?
C'est la Vie is a slow, quiet film depicting a time that has been enveloped by the sands of history. Sexual awakening, divorce, and broken relationships all are major themes within the film, and each are handled with eloquence and poise that is found lacking in many other films that tackle similar themes. A good film for French cinema fans.
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