Just Like Brothers
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''Just Like Brothers'' (original title: ''Comme des frères'') is a 2012 French
comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
written, directed and produced by Hugo Gélin.


Plot

Since Charlie ( Melanie Thierry) died, Boris ( François-Xavier Demaison), a businessman, Elie (
Nicolas Duvauchelle Nicolas Duvauchelle (born 27 March 1980) is a French actor, perhaps best known for his role as Theo in three seasons of the crime drama '' Braquo''. Career Duvauchelle starred in numerous films including ''Lightweight'', '' À tout de suite'' ...
), a renowned scriptwriter, and Maxime (
Pierre Niney Pierre Niney (; born 13 March 1989) is a French actor. He made his acting debut in the two-part miniseries ''La dame d'Izieu'' in 2007, followed by films such as '' LOL (Laughing Out Loud)'' (2008), '' The Army of Crime'' (2009), '' Romantics Ano ...
), a naive 20-year-old boy, lost the woman of their lives. These characters with opposite personalities find themselves involved in a 900-km long journey to the cherished
Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
house of their sister, their friend, their love.


Cast

* François-Xavier Demaison as Boris *
Nicolas Duvauchelle Nicolas Duvauchelle (born 27 March 1980) is a French actor, perhaps best known for his role as Theo in three seasons of the crime drama '' Braquo''. Career Duvauchelle starred in numerous films including ''Lightweight'', '' À tout de suite'' ...
as Élie *
Pierre Niney Pierre Niney (; born 13 March 1989) is a French actor. He made his acting debut in the two-part miniseries ''La dame d'Izieu'' in 2007, followed by films such as '' LOL (Laughing Out Loud)'' (2008), '' The Army of Crime'' (2009), '' Romantics Ano ...
as Maxime *
Mélanie Thierry Mélanie Thierry (born 17 July 1981) is a French actress. Early life and career Mélanie Thierry began her career as a model in France, then moved into acting. She began with a series of roles in French productions, and at the age of 17 appeared ...
as Charlie * Lannick Gautry as Vassily *
Philippe Laudenbach Philippe Laudenbach (31 January 1936 – 22 April 2024) was a French actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1963. Career Philippe Laudenbach, the nephew of Pierre Fresnay (born Peter Laudenbach), was trained at the French Natio ...
as Grandfather *
Florence Thomassin Florence Thomassin (born 24 June 1966) is a French actress and sculptor. In 2001, Thomassin was nominated for a César Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Beatrice in Bernard Rapp's '' A Question of Taste'' ("Une affaire de goû ...
as Line


Production

At the end of the 2000s, Hugo Gelin planned to make a film but shortly before the shooting started, a distributor withdrew from the project. He then created a production company named Zazi films and started to prepare three movies, including ''Comme des frères''. The story is partly inspired by the friendship between the 30-year-old film director and two of his friends, who are 20 and 40 years old. According to Hugo Gelin, this kind of "unusual friendship" is rarely adapted to the screen. ''Comme des frères'' is dedicated to
Jocelyn Quivrin Jocelyn Quivrin (14 February 1979 – 15 November 2009) was a French actor. He had a supporting role in the film ''Syriana''. Early life Jocelyn Quivrin was born in Dijon on 14 February 1979. His father, Vincent Beaufils, was an anaesthetis ...
, one of Hugo Gelin's best friends, who died while the film was being written. After this event, Hugo Gelin decided to make this film a comedy. The amusement park scene was shot in September 2011 in Nigloland in the French departement of
Aube Aube ( ) is a French departments of France, department in the Grand Est region of northeastern France. As with sixty departments in France, this department is named after a river: the Aube (river), Aube. With 310,242 inhabitants (2019),
. The park is renamed "Fifouland" in the film. Amongst others, scenes were shot in
Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
, in
Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...
, in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
or even in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.


Music

The original soundtrack of the film is almost exclusively composed of songs from the band ''
Revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...
'', written or re-recorded for the film. Three of the twenty-four tracks don't belong to the French band: ''Shame Shame Shame'' by The Khaliq Group, ''The Days We Won’t Spend'' by Thomas Darmon and ''Nothing From Nothing'' by
Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, backing Little Richa ...
. The album was released in November 2012, 12th led by the single ''Parallel Lives''.


Release

Before ''Comme des frères'' was released, the film's team promoted it between August and November 2012 in many festivals such as Lama (Corsica),
Angoulême Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; ) is a small city in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Charente, of which it is the Prefectures of France, prefecture. Located on a plateau overlooking a meander of ...
, Paris (Telerama Festival),
Colmar Colmar (; ; or ) is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Alsace region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department ...
,
Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
, Reunion, Sarlat, and also premieres with Hugo Gelin and the three main characters as special guests occurred throughout France.


Critical response

The film received positive reviews from the written press. For Jean-Pierre Lacomme from ''
Le Journal du Dimanche ''Le Journal du Dimanche'' (; ), also known as the JDD , is a French weekly newspaper published on Sundays in France. JDD was bought in 2023 by Vivendi of media mogul Vincent Bolloré, triggering a strike movement against the new editorial s ...
'', this is a "beautiful road-movie". According to ''
Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly gossip magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. ''Paris Match'' has been considered "one of the world's best outlets for photojournalism". ...
'', "the juvenile energy and the sincerity f the movieshould involve even the more sceptical viewer". In ''
Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...
'', Khadija Moussou talks about the "cinematographic surprise of the season." The press particularly praised the actors. According to Jean-Pierre Lacomme, the "three comedians work well together". Paris Match talks about a "quartet of four comedians in a dainty harmony". For Khadija Moussou, "thanks to the clever and successful dialogues, these three are doing brilliantly". For Vincent Julé from the '' Parisien'', "the alchemy between the three comedians is undeniable". He grants a special mention for Nicolas Duvauchelle, "incredibly natural". Others proved to be more touched by the "tormented Melanie Thierry", "radiant" in the eye of Jean-Philippe Guerand from ''
Nouvel Obs (), previously known as (2014–2024), (1964–2014), (1954–1964), (1953–1954), and (1950–1953), is a weekly French news magazine. Based in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, ' is one of the three most prominent French news magazines al ...
''. For him, François Xavier Demaison has hardly ever been "so sober and touching". For Guillemette Odicio from ''
Télérama ''Télérama'' is a weekly French language, French cultural and television magazine published in Paris, France. The name is a contraction of its earlier title: ''Télévision-Radio-Cinéma''. Fabienne Pascaud is currently managing editor. Ludovic ...
'', the actor is "still as effective". Most of the critics pay tribute to Pierre Niney's performance, even amounting to talk about a "real discovery" or a "revelation".


Accolades


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Just Like Brothers 2012 films 2012 comedy films 2010s French-language films French comedy films 2012 directorial debut films Films directed by Hugo Gélin 2010s French films Films shot in Aube Films shot in Aix-en-Provence Films shot in Corsica Films shot in Paris Films shot in Germany Films set in Corsica French-language comedy films