"Ensemble, c'est tout" (the title translates to "Together, That's All," but it looks like it will be released in English-speaking countries as "Hunting and Gathering") is, at heart, a romantic wish-fulfillment fable, and a particularly French example of the genre. If you're a depressed, anorexic girl who lives in a tiny room and works as a cleaning lady despite your artistic talents, what could be better than having your blueblooded neighbor invite you to stay in his luxe, antique-stuffed Parisian apartment? By the end of your time there, you and your new friends will form a makeshift family, and you'll even find love with a guy who rides a motorcycle and is a talented chef. Don't worry that you hated him at first sight. It's a romantic fable; these things happen.
At least, they happen that way for Camille (Audrey Tautou), the heroine of "Ensemble, c'est tout." Her host in that fabulous apartment is Philibert (Laurent Stocker), a young, eccentric, and socially awkward scion of an aristocratic family. Philibert shares his apartment with Franck (Guillaume Canet) the motorcycle-chef; and eventually Franck's ailing grandmother Paulette (Françoise Bertin) moves in as well.
From there, things proceed mostly how you'd expect, with the requisite mixture of comedy and drama. The scenes between Franck and Paulette are the least original; the other plot lines at least have a few amusing incidents to liven them up. And the movie is so concerned with the romance between Camille and Franck that Philibert--who also finds love during the course of the story--gets short shrift. We never see him interact with his girlfriend, which severely limits his character arc. Also, in an American movie, a character who looks and acts like Philibert (shy, bookish, wearing velvet suits and bow ties) would almost certainly be gay, so it comes as a bit of a surprise to learn that he isn't. This, however, is the only surprise that "Ensemble, c'est tout" has in store.
At least, they happen that way for Camille (Audrey Tautou), the heroine of "Ensemble, c'est tout." Her host in that fabulous apartment is Philibert (Laurent Stocker), a young, eccentric, and socially awkward scion of an aristocratic family. Philibert shares his apartment with Franck (Guillaume Canet) the motorcycle-chef; and eventually Franck's ailing grandmother Paulette (Françoise Bertin) moves in as well.
From there, things proceed mostly how you'd expect, with the requisite mixture of comedy and drama. The scenes between Franck and Paulette are the least original; the other plot lines at least have a few amusing incidents to liven them up. And the movie is so concerned with the romance between Camille and Franck that Philibert--who also finds love during the course of the story--gets short shrift. We never see him interact with his girlfriend, which severely limits his character arc. Also, in an American movie, a character who looks and acts like Philibert (shy, bookish, wearing velvet suits and bow ties) would almost certainly be gay, so it comes as a bit of a surprise to learn that he isn't. This, however, is the only surprise that "Ensemble, c'est tout" has in store.