REVIEW: THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
DEATH, love, growing up, cigarettes and wine - THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE (15) covers all the bases of life in France.
As dramas go, it hardly breaks new ground but it's told with enough wit and warmth to make it an undeniably touching exploration of the family unit.
Stretching over 12 years, the film explores the lives of the five members of the Duval household by focusing on one life-changing day for each of them.
We see eldest son Albert move out and start his own life; daughter Fleur discover grunge, boys and teenage angst; middle son Ralph find and lose the love of his life at an air guitar competition while husband and wife Robert and Marie-Jeanne attempt to steer a course though family feuds, affairs, life-threatening car accidents and growing old.
It's the stuff of any half-arsed ITV Sunday night drama but director Remi Bezancon brings it to life by the presenting family unit without resorting to typical movie land contrivance. The family relationships and dilemmas feel utterly real, helped in no small part by a clutch of authentic performances from the top notch cast.
Sure, it's a little on the cosy side but the film's a funny and heart-warming celebration of family life. - JUSTIN MATLOCK
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