Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Paroles et musique

  • 19841984
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
5.2/10
414
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Catherine Deneuve, Christopher Lambert, and Richard Anconina in Paroles et musique (1984)
  • Drama
  • Music
  • Romance
When Peter (Nick Mancuso), Margaux's (Catherine Deneuve) American writer husband, leaves Paris in a funk and heads home, she finds herself the single parent of two near teens. She also gets ... Read allWhen Peter (Nick Mancuso), Margaux's (Catherine Deneuve) American writer husband, leaves Paris in a funk and heads home, she finds herself the single parent of two near teens. She also gets a new assignment at work: to find, sign, and promote new rock singers. She discovers a duo... Read allWhen Peter (Nick Mancuso), Margaux's (Catherine Deneuve) American writer husband, leaves Paris in a funk and heads home, she finds herself the single parent of two near teens. She also gets a new assignment at work: to find, sign, and promote new rock singers. She discovers a duo, Jeremy (Christopher Lambert) and Michel (Richard Anconina), and jump-starts their music ... Read all
IMDb RATING
5.2/10
414
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Élie Chouraqui
  • Writer
    • Élie Chouraqui
  • Stars
    • Catherine Deneuve
    • Christopher Lambert
    • Richard Anconina
Top credits
  • Director
    • Élie Chouraqui
  • Writer
    • Élie Chouraqui
  • Stars
    • Catherine Deneuve
    • Christopher Lambert
    • Richard Anconina
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 3User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos6

    Paroles et musique (1984)
    Paroles et musique (1984)
    Paroles et musique (1984)
    Catherine Deneuve, Christopher Lambert, and Richard Anconina in Paroles et musique (1984)
    Catherine Deneuve, Christopher Lambert, and Richard Anconina in Paroles et musique (1984)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Catherine Deneuve
    Catherine Deneuve
    • Margauxas Margaux
    Christopher Lambert
    Christopher Lambert
    • Jeremyas Jeremy
    Richard Anconina
    Richard Anconina
    • Michelas Michel
    Jacques Perrin
    Jacques Perrin
    • Yvesas Yves
    Nick Mancuso
    Nick Mancuso
    • Peteras Peter
    Dayle Haddon
    Dayle Haddon
    • Corinneas Corinne
    Charlotte Gainsbourg
    Charlotte Gainsbourg
    • Charlotte Markeras Charlotte Marker
    Dominique Lavanant
    Dominique Lavanant
    • Florenceas Florence
    Franck Ayas
    • Elliottas Elliott
    Charles Biddle Jr.
    Charles Biddle Jr.
    • Un serveur chanteur chez Gruberas Un serveur chanteur chez Gruber
    Stephanie Biddle
    Stephanie Biddle
    • Waitress-Singeras Waitress-Singer
    Stephanie Biddler
    • Un serveur chanteur chez Gruberas Un serveur chanteur chez Gruber
    Nelly Borgeaud
    Nelly Borgeaud
    • Julieas Julie
    Emmanuelle Boutet
    • Enfant Julieas Enfant Julie
    Laurene Boutet
    • Enfant Julieas Enfant Julie
    Alexandre Buenos
    • Enfant Julieas Enfant Julie
    Catherine Carel
    • La femme de l'agenceas La femme de l'agence
    Anne Cassel
    • Fille Michel 2as Fille Michel 2
    • Director
      • Élie Chouraqui
    • Writer
      • Élie Chouraqui
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    La tentation d'Isabelle
    5.5
    La tentation d'Isabelle
    Charlotte for Ever
    5.4
    Charlotte for Ever
    L'effrontée
    6.9
    L'effrontée
    Night Sun
    6.9
    Night Sun
    The Little Thief
    6.9
    The Little Thief
    I Love You
    5.8
    I Love You
    Amoureuse
    5.6
    Amoureuse
    In the Eyes of the World
    6.1
    In the Eyes of the World
    Merci La Vie
    6.5
    Merci La Vie
    Anna Oz
    6.1
    Anna Oz
    Jane B. for Agnes V.
    7.2
    Jane B. for Agnes V.
    Parole de flic
    5.6
    Parole de flic

    Storyline

    Edit
    When Peter (Nick Mancuso), Margaux's (Catherine Deneuve) American writer husband, leaves Paris in a funk and heads home, she finds herself the single parent of two near teens. She also gets a new assignment at work: to find, sign, and promote new rock singers. She discovers a duo, Jeremy (Christopher Lambert) and Michel (Richard Anconina), and jump-starts their music careers. Jeremy is attracted to the older Margaux, asserts himself with her, befriends her children, and neglects Michel and their music. The kids go to New York to be with their father Peter, freeing Margaux to respond to Jeremy. Does that relationship have any future? And what of the musical duo? —<jhailey@hotmail.com>
    • single parent
    • unfaithfulness
    • extramarital affair
    • audition
    • audio cassette
    • 13 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Music
      • Romance
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Charlotte Gainsbourg's feature film debut.
    • Connections
      Featured in Speriamo che sia femmina (1986)

    User reviews3

    Review
    Top review
    4/10
    Paroles et musique - The French 80's musical hits low
    In the 80's, musical films were again in fashion. From Alan Parker's "Fame", to "Footloose" and "Flashdance", many a film were promoted through their soundtracks , full of global smash hits. The difference between these ones and "Paroles et musique" is that they have an undeniable quality, excellent characters, and a well-developed plot. The latter, on the other hand, is a pure disappointment.

    The plot revolves around a music agent, Margaux (Catherine Deneuve), who is searching for new talents to recruit. Not only is she pressed in her job, but her American husband is off again to one of his business trips, leaving her alone with her two spoilt kids (her daughter being played by debutante Charlotte Gainsbourg, who was to gain fame a year later through Claude Miller's excellent film "L'effrontée"). As if a miracle, she finds two poor musicians (Richard Anconina and Christophe Lambert), who play exactly the kind of awful synth music her bosses are searching for. So stars the story that will later evolve into a romance between Margaux and Lambert, and the quest for success, which the two musicians undertake.

    While the plot was promising for someone who loves French 80's music, and cinema, it was deficient in both the first one and the other. Veteran composer Michel Legrand was asked to write the music, and he did an awful job. Comprised of boring synthesizer-driven pieces, it can't stand up to the actual hits of the era - and, believe me, the French music scene had a lot to offer back then- with the choice to let Lambert and Anconina sing being an unfortunate one.

    As for the latter feature - by this I mean the cinema-, both the direction and the acting were average. The director, Élie Chouraqui did little to improve the already weak plot, making the film a series of long shots that just drag on and on, with the characters just talking about their ambitions of fame .

    Speaking of the characters, they were utterly unconvincing, since the actors' performances were of low quality. This does injustice to them, Anconina, Lambert and Deneuve being otherwise excellent actors (see for that "Police", "Subway" and "Le dernier métro" respectively). In this movie, they can't do much themselves, since the plot doesn't let them do anything special. I can safely say that Charlotte Gainsbourg gave the best performance, showing the emotional intensity that would make her name in "L'effrontée".

    Essentially, this film feels like a promotion campaign for the new faces of the period's cinema (Anconina and Lambert). Maybe they either should have been replaced, or been given a better story, in which the framework they could act better.

    All in all, I can understand why this movie surpassed one million admissions in 1984, belonging to a genre that was popular back then. But now, "Paroles et musique" seems incredibly dated, and has deservedly been forgotten. The French cinema of the 80's has truly better movies to offer.
    helpful•0
    0
    • eightylicious
    • Mar 10, 2022

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 21, 1986 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Canada
    • Languages
      • French
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Duett zu dritt
    • Filming locations
      • Montréal, Québec, Canada
    • Production companies
      • 7 Films Cinéma
      • CIS
      • France 3 Cinéma
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • CA$4,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Movie Poster of the Week: “The 4th Man” and the Poster Art of Vincent Topazio
    Jan 23MUBI
    Movie Poster of the Week: The lesser-known posters of Catherine Deneuve
    Oct 26MUBI

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Catherine Deneuve, Christopher Lambert, and Richard Anconina in Paroles et musique (1984)
    Top Gap
    What is the English language plot outline for Paroles et musique (1984)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.