The French Kissers | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
French | Les beaux gosses |
Directed by | Riad Sattouf |
Written by |
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Produced by | Anne-Dominique Toussaint |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Dominique Colin |
Edited by | Virginie Bruant |
Music by |
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Production companies |
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Distributed by | Pathé |
Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | France |
Language | French |
Budget | $3,5 million |
Box office | $14.7 million[1] |
The French Kissers (French: Les beaux gosses, lit. 'The Handsome Kids'[2]) is a 2009 French teen sex comedy film co-written and directed by Riad Sattouf, in his feature directorial debut. The film follows Hervé (Vincent Lacoste), an average teenage boy who has little luck with finding a girlfriend until the beautiful Aurore (Alice Trémolières) takes a liking to him.
Sattouf, a graphic novel writer, was invited to write a script based on an idea from producer Anne-Dominique Toussaint, and he completed the screenplay with Marc Syrigas. Sattouf cast non-professional actors as the film's teenage characters, but he chose to use experienced actors such as Noémie Lvovsky, Irène Jacob, Emmanuelle Devos and Valeria Golino as the adult characters. Filming took place over eight weeks in Gagny and Rennes.
The film was released in France on 10 June 2009, and a soundtrack composed by Flairs was released on 8 June 2009. The film was well received by critics, who particularly praised the humour, the acting and the cinematography.
It won the 2010 César Award for Best First Feature Film and Lacoste also received a nomination for the César Award for Most Promising Actor. It also won the Prix Jacques Prévert du Scénario for Best Adaptation in 2010.