I, Cesar
I, Cesar
| 09 April 2003 (USA)
I, Cesar Trailers

Cesar is a young schoolboy living in Paris with his family. Their life is ordinary, but Cesar wants more excitement (which he creates, in one instance, by claiming to his teachers that his father has been arrested). During the school holidays, Cesar and his friend Sarah decide to help their mutual friend, Morgan, find his father who supposedly lives in London. Each one tells their parents that they're staying with the other two, and together they sneak out to begin their search.

Reviews
Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
writers_reign Richard Berry is something of a throwback to the kind of all-round writer-director-actor that used to be the norm, flitting between drama, comedy, rom-com at will, a Gallic Michael Curtiz if you will. This delightful bildungsroman gives no hint of 22 Bullets, also written and directed by Berry, for example. Jules Sitruk appears to be graduating successfully from juvenile roles and is still working at 23. I for one thoroughly enjoyed his performances in Monsieur Batignole (the work of another fine writer-director-actor Gerard Jugnot) and especially Vipere au poing with an unforgettable Catherine Frot as the mother from hell. I, Cesar, as it has been anglicized is a total delight and shows that Berry - sixty-three years old when he shot this - is completely in touch and in tune with the world of childhood and adept at off-the-wall casting; Jean-Paul Rouve, for example, who played the despicable critic in Monsieur Batignole, turns in a great wacky performance as the gym teacher while Charlie Boorman and his sister also weigh in with solid cameos to say nothing of Anna Karina, who grabs the role of the kind of whack-job that used to go to Carloyn Jones and Shirley MacLaine, with both hands and sinks her teeth in, possibly relishing the chance to get as far away as possible from the merde that Godard inflicted on her. All in all this is a rewarding evening in the salles and stands repeated viewings on DVD.
leplatypus This new work of Berry is exceptional and as it's only his second, you can be sure it's a director to follow. Maybe it's because he seems to have a excellent memory or the fact that he's super-kind to cast his daughter in all his movies, but he knows exactly what is-it to be a child: a world that is high, that is not totally clear, sometimes painful and frightening but always the best time to share with your friends.Thus, watching this movie makes you remember your old past as well because we all shared the same experiences: the love of the mother, the authority of the father, the big situation of school (mine was to keep silent the trip to Germany from my parents), the dangerous expedition (mine was to explore a vacant hospital with dead cat), the alienating vacations and family (same farm with grandparents, nothing around and silly cousins), the lessons of biology and the first beats of our heart (unfortunately, my "sarah" dumped me before our date could even exist when I just give my homework with her name on it! I have always been absent-minded if I'm troubled.).So, Berry manages to bottle all those moments in a fresh and funny story and find an admirable cast and production to tell it: the adults and kids are really top, the sets are full of colors or have amazing light for the locations in Paris, London. The music is perfect and sounds very nostalgic.If "Home alone" is the best about being kid and family, "Moi, César" is best about friendship among kids! Please, Josephine & Richard, go on with more movies like this !
Jackstone54 "Moi Cesar" is a charming movie about the growing pains of a plump, insecure boy, wonderfully embodied by Jules Sitruk. He and his two best pals form a strong friendship that reaches its apex when they run off to London to look for Cesar's friend's British father. They are aided by Anna Karina in a rare role as an Auntie Mame-like character, a punk pub owner with a Tina Turner hairdo. It's a great cameo by the iconic actress. It's a pity that "Moi Cesar" hasn't been released commercially in the US. The movie can be as popular as "Amelie". Richard Berry, the French actor, directed this comedy and Luc Besson was among its producers. Josephine Berry, Richard's beautiful daughter, plays Cesar's love interest.
film_ophile I have just seen this film as part of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts French Film Festival. The last film that I saw as part of the festival, Red Lights, was resented by me for being that worst of things, a thriller with an implausible plot, full of holes, and not worth seeing. "Moi, cesar", however, has thoroughly healed those wounds!This is a delightful, entertaining,fun ride through the world of a disaffected 10 year old Parisian boy whose sole passions are for pastries and a lovely girl classmate. In tone, cinematography and pacing, this film feels a lot like Amelie, and I really enjoyed all the pleasurable laughs it provided. I bought the whole story; the screenplay is very well written and all the actors do an excellent job. The film kicks up a notch when Cesar and his girl and his best friend all hatch a clever ruse, and manage to get themselves to London to help the best friend find his birth father. Just when they need help the most, an older punk fairy godmother, Gloria( in a nod to Tina Turner and Gina Rowlands) appears and things improve. Al is pulled together in a great fun finale. An easy 9 out of 10. Enjoy!