The French Minister / June 18, 20, 21, 22

Wed, June 18
The French Minister 7:00 at The Back Door

Friday, June 20
The Double 6:30 @ IU Fine Arts
The French Minister 7:30 @ IU Woodburn
Manakamana 8:15 @ IU Fine Arts

Sat and Sun, June 21 & 22
The Double 6:30 @ IU Fine Arts
The French Minister 5:15 & 7:30 @ IU Woodburn – LAST CHANCE!
Manakamana 4:15 & 8:15 @ IU Fine Arts

DESCRIPTION:

Alexandre Taillard de Vorms is tall and impressive, a man with style, attractive to women. He also happens to be the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the land of enlightenment: France. With his silver mane and tanned, athletic body, he stalks the world stage, from the floor of the United Nations in New York to the powder keg of Oubanga. There, he calls on the powerful and invokes the mighty to bring peace, to calm the trigger-happy, and to cement his aura of Nobel Peace Prize winner-in-waiting. Alexandre Taillard de Vorms is a force to be reckoned with, waging his own war backed up by the holy trinity of diplomatic concepts: legitimacy, lucidity and efficacy. He takes on American neo-cons, corrupt Russians and money-grabbing Chinese. Perhaps the world doesn’t deserve France’s magnanimousness, but his art would be wasted if just restricted to home turf. Enter the young Arthur Vlaminck, graduate of the elite National School of Administration, who is hired as head of “language” at the foreign ministry. In other words, he is to write the minister’s speeches. But he also has to learn to deal with the sensibilities of the boss and his entourage, and find his way between the private secretary and the special advisers who stalk the corridors of the Quai d’Orsay – the ministry’s home – where stress, ambition and dirty dealing are the daily currency. But just as he thinks he can influence the fate of the world, everything seems threatened by the inertia of the technocrats. Co-starring Julie Gayet – the actress has been in the news in recent months because of her relationship with real-life French President François Hollande. (113 min)

This is not life imitating art. This is art going to bed with life and staying there for the rest of the afternoon.  –The New Yorker

 Sparkling and savvy…love for the Hollywood studio comedies of the 1930s and 40s is in strong evidence throughout.  -Scott Foundas, Variety

With its broad performances, rapid-fire pacing, and rampant visual and verbal gags, Bernard Tavernier’s first out-and-out comedy doesn’t try too hard to hide its graphic-novel origins. -Slant

The French Minister boasts robust pacing, screwball-comedy banter and an exuberant central performance. — NPR

Wed, June 18
The French Minister 7:00 at The Back Door

Friday, June 20
The Double 6:30 @ IU Fine Arts
The French Minister 7:30 @ IU Woodburn
Manakamana 8:15 @ IU Fine Arts

Sat and Sun, June 21 & 22
The Double 6:30 @ IU Fine Arts
The French Minister 5:15 & 7:30 @ IU Woodburn
Manakamana 4:15 & 8:15 @ IU Fine Arts

Wed, June 25
The Double 7:00 @ The Back Door

Friday, June 27
The Double 6:30 IU Fine Arts
Manakamana 7:30 IU Woodburn
We Are The Best! 8:15 IU Fine Arts

Sat, June 28
The Double 6:30 IU Fine Arts
Manakamana 5:00 & 7:30 IU Woodburn
We Are The Best! 4:15 & 8:15 IU Fine Arts

Sun, June 29
Manakamana 4:15 IU Fine Arts
The Double 6:30 IU Fine Arts