A Happy Man

A touching politically incorrect comedy and a triumph of happiness over human mediocrity.

The Pitch
At 65, Pierre MARTIN (played by Pierre RICHARD), quantum physicist, inherits an inn in Canada. He leaves Paris with his daughter Catherine (Sylvie TESTUD) and ends up in the dead of winter in Sainte-Simone-du-Nord, a typical tiny village in the Saguenay, a remote region of Québec. Away from Parisian life, Pierre sees an opportunity to pass on to his daughter the quality he values most: happiness. But, the mayor of Sainte-Simone doesn't want a second generation of frenchies.

The Actors
A Happy Man brings together two great actors from different continents: Pierre RICHARD, a world-famous comic actor whose international reputation has made him a household name to a market of more than 400 million viewers; and Rémy GIRARD, an actor whose work is much appreciated by Québec critics and audiences alike, and whose reputation is growing in France and the USA.

Pierre RICHARD (Pierre, the quantum physicist) has appeared in more than 44 films.   Among his most memorable are Le distrait (1970) (English titles: Absent-minded or The Daydreamer), Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire (1972) (with a total box office of over 3 million tickets sold in France alone, released in the UK as Follow That Guy with the One Black Shoe and in the USA as The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe), and La chèvre (co-starring Gérard DEPARDIEU, released in 1981, which sold 7 million tickets, English titles The Goat and Knock on Wood). He conquered not only France, Canada and Russia, but several other countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America as well. Hollywood has produced remakes of Le jouet (1976, The Toy) and Les Fugitifs (1986, Eng. The Three Fugitives). More recently, Pierre RICHARD has played in several films including the delightful comedy by Pierre-François MARTIN-LAVAL Essaye-moi (2006, Eng. Try Me) and Faubourg 36 (2008, Eng. Paris 36) by Christophe BARRATIER (Les Choristes, English title: The Chorus).

Rémy GIRARD (Michel, Mayor of Sainte-Simone-du-Nord) has had great success on stage and in film, playing major roles in, among other films, Denys Arcand’s Le déclin de l’empire américain (1986, Eng. The Decline of the American Empire) and Les invasions barbares (Eng. The Barbarian Invasions, winner of the 2004 Oscar for the best foreign language film), for which he received a Genie award for best actor. In Robert MÉNARD’s Amoureux fou (1991, Eng. - madly in love), he shared the screen with Jean ROCHEFORT and once again received a Genie Award for his performance.

Sylvie TESTUD (Catherine, Pierre’s daughter)  has made more than 40 feature films and won several awards along the way, including the 2004 Best Actress César for Alain CORNEAU’s Stupeur et tremblements (Eng. Fear and Trembling).

Louise PORTAL (the Mayor’s wife) has a list of film credits which includes Le déclin de l’empire américain (1986, Eng. The Decline of the American Empire), Les invasions barbares (2003, Eng. The Barbarian Invasions), Mes meilleurs copains (1989, alternate Eng. My Best Buddies and My Best Pals), with Gérard LANVIN, Christian CLAVIER and Jean-Pierre BACRI, and Les fauves (1984, Eng. Beasts) alongside Philippe LÉOTARD and Daniel AUTEUIL.

Also appearing in A Happy Man: Patrick DROLET, Jean-Nicolas VERREAULT, Gaston LEPAGE, Vincent BILODEAU, Diane LAVALLÉE, Sylvie LEMAY, Luc PROULX and André LACOSTE.

Robert MÉNARD(director) An accomplished filmmaker, producer and screenwriter, he has directed several highly successful Québec films including Cruising Bar (1989), Amoureux fou (1991, Eng. -madly in love), T’es belle Jeanne (1990, Eng. You’re Beautiful, Jeanne), L’enfant d’eau (1995, altemate Eng. Behind the Blue and Water Child) and Cruising Bar 2 (2008).

 

A Happy Man (Le bonheur de Pierre)
Canada / France Coproduction
Director: Robert MÉNARD
Original story and screenplay: Guy BONNIER
Collaborated on screenplay: Christophe DUTHURON, Michel ICART, Benoît PELLETIER
Produced by: Claude BONIN, Guy BONNIER
Executive Producers: Henri GRANGE, Claude MARQUET, Jérôme GRANGE
Co-producer: Clémentine DABADIE, Rahila BOOTWALA
An iStudio Cinéma Télévision / Chabraque Productions co-production
Tel. Montréal:  +1.514.543.6106
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