Set in the early days of World War II, this remake of Marcel Pagnol’s 1940 classic follows a working-class man (played by the film’s director, Daniel Auteuil) as he tries to arrange a marriage between his prized-possession daughter Patricia (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey) and his oafish friend Felipe (Kad Merad), but things get messy at home when she gets knocked up by her pop’s wealthy best friend Jacques (Nicolas Duvauchelle).
Auteuil’s direction is expert, utilizing tranquil pacing, well-placed moments of silence and lush cinematography to paint a vivid picture of Provence’s gorgeous countryside. This colorful update of the black-and-white original, however, doesn’t quite warrant the need for a redo. It’s pretty to look at, but a little revisionism — perhaps a modern-day setting — would do wonders for what ends up coming across as a carbon-copy of something Pagnol already did.
