Les Amateurs - “The Likely Lads” French-style - is director Martin Valente's first
full-length film, an adaptation of his earlier short film, Ta
Soeur (2001). Despite Valente's attempt to cram far too much into one film
(a common failing amongst film directors when making the transition from shorts to features),
this makes enjoyable viewing and delivers more than a few genuinely funny moments.
Jalil Lespert and Lorànt Deutsch star as the film's central characters, two equally
hopeless seducers of the opposite sex who make a loveable and highly effective double
act. Interestingly, this is Lespert's first comic role and the actor carries it
off admirably, proving that, having established himself as a straight actor of no mean
calibre, he also has a talent for comedy.
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Film Synopsis
J.P. and Christophe are two ordinary lads, in their mid-twenties, who come
from an ordinary low-incoming housing estate in France. Both have a
positive attitude towards life and seem not to mind the fact that they have
no money and no prospects. J.P. earns a meagre crust as a shelf-stacker
in a supermarket, whilst Christophe scrapes by with any odd job coming his
way. Their friendship enters a tricky phase when J.P. starts taking
an interest in his friend's cousin Maya, and Christophe falls head over heels
in love with J.P.'s sister Malika. Both lads are keen to attract the
interest of their respective objects of desire, but are singularly ill-equipped
to do so. In the attempt, they manage to get themselves mixed up in
a bank robbery, for which they are the sole witnesses. Things take
an even more bizarre turn when J.P. starts to be treated very strangely by
his boss, who is certain that he has found his missing son...
Cast:Lorànt Deutsch (Christophe Pichon "Chris"),
Jalil Lespert (Jamel Mezaoui "J.P."),
Pascal Légitimus (Jimmy),
François Berléand (Monsieur Meinau),
Nathalie Krebs (Madame Meinau),
Barbara Cabrita (Malika),
Sara Martins (Maya),
Hubert Saint-Macary (Deschamps),
Luce Mouchel (Martine),
Matteo Vallon (Edmond),
Yannis Belal (Rachid),
Sami Zitouni (Abdel),
Loïc Corbery (Richard),
Philippe Awat (Le chef braqueur),
Alain Vilain (Le braqueur 1),
Abel Jafri (Le braqueur 2),
Didier Menin (Le directeur de l'école),
Dominique Frot (La directrice de l'école),
Jean-Jacques Vanier (Adrien),
Robert Rollis (Le père d'Adrien)
Country: France
Language: French
Support: Color
Runtime: 93 min
Aka:The Amateurs
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