Not just cinéma de papa, but cinema de grand-papa.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
The New York Times by Ben Kenigsberg
It’s not entirely clear what this faithful, slightly creaky new rendering, adapted and directed by the actor Daniel Auteuil, has to offer.
Slant Magazine by Clayton Dillard
Daniel Auteuil's less exercising diligent homage than indulging troglodytic cinephilia.
The Hollywood Reporter by Jordan Mintzer
Despite what sounds, and sometimes plays out, like a working-class soap opera, Pagnol’s genius is evident in the way emotions are often distilled through the characters’ winsome Southern attitudes, creating an atmosphere infused with playful humor, innate wit and an endless flow of alcohol.
A lot of the story’s emotional shifts seem designed expressly to prolong the narrative, which is pretty darn skimpy.
The material is a French classic, and Auteuil directs as such: this is cosy, undemanding heritage cinema.