The restaurant that serves as a setting for this French comedy is one of those establishments in great demand with good food and one can hope prices that are somewhat affordable. After all, one gets to meet the same faces at different times. Alex, the head waiter, has started in show business, but now he is in charge of the staff that serve day in, day out, the patrons that make the place their hang out.
Alex has problems in the romantic department. When we meet him, he is sharing an apartment with Gilbert, a plump waiter who is temporarily separated from his wife. He misses his home terribly, but Gilbert cannot make up his mind about how to get back to that life. Alex, on the other hand, meets and fall in love for Claire, a woman that is just ending a painful love affair. It is hard to conceive that Claire and Alex will end up together. After all, she is much younger, and Alex wants to become independent by turning his seaside property into a sort of amusement park for the summer. Will Alex find happiness at last?
Claude Sautet's "Garcon", is one of the fastest paced comedies we had seen in quite a while. Written by Mr. Sauted and Jean-Loup Davadie, this joyous film is so fast, one is not ready for its end. Mr. Sautet treats the restaurant as a stage play, a farce, if you will. All the waiters perform a sort of ballet in their comings and goings to, and from the kitchen. It gives the audience a chance to see Mr. Sautet's choreography while the servers move around ceaselessly. For the record, there is only one mishap involving broken dishes.
Yves Montand was a versatile actor who was comfortable in drama, as well as in comedy, as he shows us here. It is a joy to watch Mr. Montand doing the rounds and staying in character; he is the epitome of what a waiter should be. Nicole Garcia is Claire, a woman with her own baggage who likes Alex, but not enough to make a commitment. Jacques Villeret, a comic actor, plays the sad Gilbert. Others in the film are Marie Dubois, Dominique Laffin, Rosy Varte, Bernard Fresson, among the large cast.
The comedy is delightful, light and fresh thanks to Mr. Sautet's inspired direction.
Alex has problems in the romantic department. When we meet him, he is sharing an apartment with Gilbert, a plump waiter who is temporarily separated from his wife. He misses his home terribly, but Gilbert cannot make up his mind about how to get back to that life. Alex, on the other hand, meets and fall in love for Claire, a woman that is just ending a painful love affair. It is hard to conceive that Claire and Alex will end up together. After all, she is much younger, and Alex wants to become independent by turning his seaside property into a sort of amusement park for the summer. Will Alex find happiness at last?
Claude Sautet's "Garcon", is one of the fastest paced comedies we had seen in quite a while. Written by Mr. Sauted and Jean-Loup Davadie, this joyous film is so fast, one is not ready for its end. Mr. Sautet treats the restaurant as a stage play, a farce, if you will. All the waiters perform a sort of ballet in their comings and goings to, and from the kitchen. It gives the audience a chance to see Mr. Sautet's choreography while the servers move around ceaselessly. For the record, there is only one mishap involving broken dishes.
Yves Montand was a versatile actor who was comfortable in drama, as well as in comedy, as he shows us here. It is a joy to watch Mr. Montand doing the rounds and staying in character; he is the epitome of what a waiter should be. Nicole Garcia is Claire, a woman with her own baggage who likes Alex, but not enough to make a commitment. Jacques Villeret, a comic actor, plays the sad Gilbert. Others in the film are Marie Dubois, Dominique Laffin, Rosy Varte, Bernard Fresson, among the large cast.
The comedy is delightful, light and fresh thanks to Mr. Sautet's inspired direction.