''Brice de Nice'' (, ) is a 2005 French surreal

comedy-drama film Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, illness, betrayal, grief, etc. ...

directed by James Huth, written by Huth,

Jean Dujardin Jean Edmond Dujardin (; born 19 June 1972) is a French actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Paris before guest starring in comedic television programmes and films. He first came to prominence with the cult TV series ...

, and Karine Angeli, and starring Dujardin. It is set in France, centering on the character Brice from Nice ("Brice de Nice") originally created by Dujardin for a stage sketch. A sequel to the film, '' Brice 3'', was released on 19 October 2016 with the slogan "Parce que le 2, je l'ai cassé!" (which translates to "Because I broke the Sequel!")

Plot

Brice Agostini, a cocksure and wealthy but child-like man with a ''

Point Break ''Point Break'' is a 1991 American action film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff. It stars Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The film's title refers to the surfing term " point break", where a ...

'' obsession, lives an idle life in Nice, spending his days in the sea with a surf board waiting for a wave. Even though Nice lies on a completely waveless bay on the Mediterranean Sea, Brice hopes that one day a tidal wave will hit as one did in 1979. In the evenings, he hosts massive parties in his luxury property where he defeats all challengers in "casse" (witty put-downs) competitions. He also likes to seduce women but does not appear to know what to do with them. He dreams regularly of finding love with a mermaid. Reality hits when his father is arrested for money-laundering and all his belongings repossessed. His friends desert him and Brice - who can barely read - has to try his hand, for the first time, at making a living. He proves terrible at it, and after getting fired from a restaurant, attempts instead to rob a bank while wearing a mask of

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

in the manner depicted in ''Point Break''. He ends up in hospital, manacled to a bed, next to Marius, a motorcycle thief that he tried to get an escape ride from. Marius is equally child-like, struggling even to speak, and the two bond quickly. They escape in an absurd manner and steal a lorry belonging to the wife of Brice's father's lawyer. Marius, believing Brice's endless boasts, drives him to Hossegor where a surfing competition is scheduled. Marius begs Brice to take part and share the prize money with him as he needs it for an expensive operation: instead of feet, each of his legs ends with a giant single toe. Brice agrees, touched by his plight and also too embarrassed to confess that he has never actually surfed. In the days leading to the competition, Brice makes new friends thanks to his party animal skills, and clashes with the local champion, Igor. Marius meanwhile, who has stolen a surf board for Brice to compete with, is caught by the behatted saleswoman, Jeanne, who blackmails him into working on her boat. Jeanne's attraction to Marius scares him as he is terrified of his condition coming to light, but after Brice simply explains the situation to her, she shows Marius that his feet do not bother her, and reveals that she has equally freaky giant ears, which she normally conceals. Brice's fantasies are finally quashed on competition day: he knocks himself out with his board on the first wave and has to be rescued. In a vision, the Bodhi character from Point Break tells him that "dreaming your life is not the same as living your dream". Brice apologises to Marius for letting him down but his friend has forgotten all about getting operated on and now plans to go sailing around the world with Jeanne. In an epilogue, Brice now works as a humble beach cleaner back in Nice, but the freak wave he hoped for does one day turn up and he manages to jump into it. Regaining consciousness on the ground, he is joined by a female wannabe surfer dressed exactly like him who has missed the wave: Alice from Nice. She is the mermaid from his dreams.

Cast

– Brice Agostini aka Brice from Nice * Clovis Cornillac – Marius Lacaille * Élodie Bouchez – Jeanne * Bruno Salomone – Igor from Hossegor * Alexandra Lamy – Chantal the mermaid / Alice from Nice *

François Chattot François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; ...

– Bertrand Agostini, Brice's father * Mathias Mlekuz – Eudes Angellini, Agostini's lawyer * Patrick Ligardes – Bank manager *

Isabelle Caubère Isabel is a female name of Iberian origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheba''). Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...

– Josie * Delphine Chanéac – Marjorie * Sabine Crossen – Mother-In-Law *

Antoine Duléry Antoine Duléry (born 14 November 1959 in Paris) is a French actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medi ...

– Micky, the legend * Jérémie Quaegebeur – Victor * Sidney Wernicke – Nikos from Mykonos * Julia Molkhou – Gladys, the queen of kiss * Cyril Guei – Babakar from Dakar * Eric Poulain – Surfin's broadcaster * Lannick Gautry – Arnaud from Lacanau *Priscilla Lopes – Natachatte * Ludovic Bernard – The squirrel man * Audrey Lamy The stars of ''Point Break''—

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze ( ; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and dancer. Known for his romantic, tough, and comedic roles in blockbusters and cult films, Swayze was nominated for three Golden Glob ...

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor and musician. The recipient of numerous accolades in a career on screen spanning four decades, he is known for his leading roles in action films, his amiable public imag ...

, Lori Petty—appear in archive footage.

Soundtrack

Jean Dujardin performed the soundtrack of the film, " Le Casse de Brice". The music video was shot and directed by J.G Biggs.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brice De Nice 2005 films French comedy films Surfing films Films directed by James Huth Films scored by Bruno Coulais 2005 comedy films 2000s French films 2000s French-language films