Roman de gare (2007)
84%RT Audience Score: 76%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 2 nominations
Claude Lelouch has crafted an engaging thriller about murder and romance with plenty of stylistic panache
Roman de Gare is like a game of Clue, but with more French accents and less Colonel Mustard. The plot twists and turns like a demented weaver, but it’s all worth it to watch Fanny Ardant and Dominique Pinon match wits. Plus, the Gilbert Becaud songs on the soundtrack are easy on the ears. It’s not perfect, but it’s a fun ride.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros.,
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Beaune, Côte-d’Or, France
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for brief language and sexual references
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 43m
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Language(s):French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 25, 2008 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 25, 2008
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Fanny Ardant, Audrey Dana, Dominique Pinon, Zinedine Soualem, Michèle Bernier, Myriam Boyer, directed by Claude Lelouch, written by Claude Lelouch, Pierre Uyterrhoeven, drama, R rating, box office gross $1.9M, Samuel Goldwyn Company, French language, murder, romance, serial killer, police, novelist, ghostwriter, stylistic panache, engaging thriller, critic reviews, producer Claude Lelouch
Worldwide gross: $4,846,868
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $6,676,375
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,088
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 728,067
US/Canada gross: $1,852,764
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,552,112
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,976
US/Canada opening weekend: $25,484
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $35,103
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,322
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Fanny Ardant – Judith Ralitzer
Audrey Dana – Huguette
Zinedine Soualem – The Commissioner
Michèle Bernier – Florence
Myriam Boyer – Huguette’s Mother
Director(s)
Claude Lelouch
Writer(s)
Claude Lelouch, Pierre Uyterrhoeven
Producer(s)
Claude Lelouch
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (75) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (65) | Rotten (10)
The air of Gallic nonchalance ensures you have a lot of fun watching Pinon and Ardant match wits. It’s Dana, however, who anchors the story.
November 14, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/5
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
An engaging, enjoyable slice of suspense from the French.
November 14, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/5
Jim Schembri
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Red herrings abound and audience frustration sets in. It’s a pity because the film looks good and the Gilbert Becaud songs on the soundtrack are easy on the ear.
November 7, 2008 | Rating: 2.5/5
David Stratton
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
It’s filled with intriguing characters, it has a fascinating initial premise — and then it runs off the rails.
November 7, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Lelouch is now 71 years old, and I bet he’s never had as much fun with a film. Roman de Gare threads plots and characters and twists together like a demented weaver.
August 22, 2008
Jonathan F. Richards
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
Even if the game isn’t entirely successful, it’s fun to play along.
June 27, 2008 | Rating: 2.5/4
Rene Rodriguez
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
It’s awesome to see the director having continued to crank out thought-provoking, challenging and effective cinema even if the film doesn’t quite fire on all cylinders.
September 21, 2020 | Rating: 2.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Lelouch’s is a pleasingly serpentine story that will keep viewers guessing.
January 28, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Charleston City Paper
Lelouch’s splintered narrative, mostly related in flashback, plays games with the characters without delivering much of a payoff.
August 15, 2011
Kelly Vance
East Bay Express
Stylist Claude Lelouche (A Man and a Woman) is still full of surprises in his choice of genres and subjects.
August 9, 2011 | Rating: B
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Is it supposed to be funny, tragic or what? Even the characters don’t seem too sure.
November 13, 2008 | Rating: 2/4
Jeff Vice
Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
There’s a lushness and emotional charge here that makes this very watchable. Don’t expect poetry, though; it’s more like a good crossword puzzle.
November 7, 2008
Jason Di Rosso
MovieTime, ABC Radio National…
Plot
The successful novelist Judith Ralitzer is interrogated in the police station about the disappearance of her ghost-writer. A serial-killer escapes from a prison in Paris. A missing school teacher leaves his wife and children. In the road, the annoying and stressed hairdresser Hughette is left in a gas station by her fiancé Paul while driving to the poor farm of her family in the country. A mysterious man offers a ride to her and she invites him to assume the identity of Paul during 24 hours to not disappoint her mother. Who might be the unknown man and what is real and what is fiction?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Dominique Pinon, who plays Pierre in the film, is known for his unique and interesting-looking face, which has made him a popular character actor in French cinema.
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