The Big Picture (2012)
77%RT Audience Score: 63%
Awards & Nominations: NA
The Big Picture” is a dark and twisty fable that explores the consequences of a man’s sudden decision to jump from one mapped journey to another. Director Eric Lartigau takes a slow-burning approach to the story, focusing more on character development than suspense. Romain Duris delivers an excellent performance as the man pushed to the edge, with his hair and eyes growing wilder with each step of the journey. While the film’s ambiguous ending may leave some viewers wanting more, there’s something refreshing about its faith in the moviegoer’s intelligence. Overall, “The Big Picture” is a decent treat for fans of this particular Gallic genre.
The Big Picture” is like a French version of “The Bourne Identity,” but with less action and more character development. It’s a slow-burning fable about a man who jumps from one mapped journey to the other, and it’s fascinating to watch him unravel. The movie ends a bit ambiguously, but that’s okay because it trusts the audience’s intelligence. Plus, Romain Duris’ hair and eyes grow wilder with each step of the journey, which is worth the price of admission alone. Overall, it’s a decent treat for fans of this particular Gallic genre, but don’t expect explosions or car chases.
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures, Studio Canal, Working Title Films,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Ballroom, Park Plaza Hotel – 607 S. Park View Street, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG-13
Year of Release
1989
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jan 4, 2011
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Romain Duris, Marina Foïs, Niels Arestrup, Branka Katić, Catherine Deneuve, Eric Ruf, Grégoire Kremer, directed by Éric Lartigau, written by Stephane Cabel, Laurent De Bartillat, Éric Lartigau, genre Drama, box office performance $158.4K, budget unknown, reviewed by Calvin Wilson, Moira MacDonald, Walter V Addiego, Michael O’Sullivan, Ty Burr, Stephen Whitty, Kaleem Aftab, Joseph Walsh, Marc Mohan, Sarah Boslaugh, Kelly Vance, produced by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, MPAA rating unknown, assumed identity, lawyer, murder, Yugoslavia, character study, slow-burning, tension-building, ambiguous ending, French (Canada), Douglas Kennedy’s novel, Paul Exben, Sarah Exben, Bartholomé, Ivana, Anne, The man who wanted to live his life
Worldwide gross: $117,463
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $286,231
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,863
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 31,214
US/Canada gross: $117,463
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $286,231
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,471
US/Canada opening weekend: $33,071
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $80,586
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,020
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $5,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $12,183,860
Production budget ranking: 1,587
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $6,561,009
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$18,458,638
ROI to date (est.): -98%
ROI ranking: 2,012
Marina Foïs – Sarah Exben
Niels Arestrup – Bartholomé
Branka Katić – Ivana
Catherine Deneuve – Anne
Eric Ruf – Grégoire Kremer
Director(s)
Éric Lartigau
Writer(s)
Stephane Cabel, Laurent De Bartillat, Éric Lartigau, Laurent De Bartillat, Éric Lartigau, Stephane Cabel
Producer(s)
Pierre-Ange Le Pogam
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (43) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (6)
“The Big Picture” ends perhaps a bit too ambiguously, but there’s something refreshing about its faith in the moviegoer’s intelligence.
December 7, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
Calvin Wilson
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
Director Eric Lartigau tells the story slowly, less interested in suspense than in character.
November 30, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Takes familiar material – involving a violent crime and an assumed identity – and nudges it just enough to keep us interested for most of the ride.
November 21, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
Walter V. Addiego
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
It moves, with supple muscularity, toward a twisty and satisfying conclusion.
November 9, 2012 | Rating: 2.5/4
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Duris is excellent, his hair and eyes growing wilder with each step of the journey, and he has solid support …
October 25, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
A dark little fable, the story of two separate roads that briefly intersect – and what happens when a man suddenly jumps from one mapped journey to the other.
October 12, 2012 | Rating: 3/5
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
TOP CRITIC
As a study of a man pushed to the edge and unable to run away from himself, The Big Picture is as fascinating as it is slow-burning.
November 6, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Kaleem Aftab
The List
The Big Picture disappoints, leading you to feel that you should perhaps have been owed so much more.
August 24, 2018 | Rating: 2/5
Joseph Walsh
CineVue
A decent-enough treat for fans of this particular Gallic genre.
December 13, 2012 | Rating: B
Marc Mohan
Oregonian
…the ambiguity of the French title, L’homme qui voulait vivre sa vie (“The man who wanted to live his life”), is a much better fit for the film that the rather bland English title…
December 6, 2012 | Rating: 6/10
Sarah Boslaugh
PopMatters
Makes full use of Duris’ essential “lost” whimsicality.
November 29, 2012
Kelly Vance
East Bay Express
Director Eric Lartigau, adapting American author Douglas Kennedy’s novel, keeps the tension building as Paul tries to leave behind his past and warily assume another person’s life.
November 3, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
Sean P. Means
Salt Lake Tribune…
Plot
Nick Chapman graduates from film school, and his short film wins a special prize. This gives him a high enough profile that he can get Hollywood to back the film he has long dreamed of making. Studio exec Allen Habel is interested. But Nick soon is seduced by Hollywood and makes one concession after another until his original movie is lost altogether. Worse, Nick is lost, too, turning on girlfriend Susan and old buddy Emmet. Will he come to his sense before everything is lost?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Romain Duris gives an excellent performance as the lead character, Paul Exben.
Éric-Lartigau.jpg
