The focus of this comic farce from directors Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte, based on Mr. Delaporte’s play, is a fast-talking dinner party gone hilariously awry. Pierre (Charles Berling), a professor, and his schoolteacher wife Elisabeth (Valerie Benguigui) host a gathering of their close friends and family to announce the name of their soon-to-be-born baby. Yet the name provokes uproar amongst the group. Shocking secrets are revealed, couscous is hurled and someone is accused of adultery. In this uproarious farce, writes The New York Times, “The catalyst for the flinging of mud isn’t booze but a practical joke that is carried so far it rattles skeletons.” Writes the Hollywood Reporter: “As in many such a farce, the twists and quid pro quos ultimately force the various characters to face truths about themselves and one another, and nothing is ever quite as bad as it seems.” (French, with subtitles)
About the Summer Institute
Each year the Summer Institute presents speakers from the front lines of politics, economics, science and the arts. Our featured speakers have included Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize-winning authors and journalists, and political leaders who have played important roles on the world stage.
In addition to its Speaker Series, the Summer Institute presents a Sunday evening series of provocative and entertaining films, screened on state-of-the-art equipment at the MV Film Center.
