''The Toy'' (french: Le Jouet) is a 1976 French

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film directed by

Francis Veber Francis Paul Veber (born 28 July 1937) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer, and playwright. He has written and directed both French and American films. Nine French-language films with which he has been involved, as either writ ...

. The film was remade in 1982 as the American film '' The Toy''.

Plot

The movie tells the story of a little boy who is trying to prove his father wrong by acting exactly like him. His father "buys" people and nothing can stop him from getting what he wants. His son does not see why he cannot do the same and decides to buy a man, who he encountered at the toy shop. The man he chose happened to be a journalist at his father's newspaper. Gradually with the help of his “toy” the boy manages to prove his father's wrong deeds by exposing them in the newspaper produced by him and his "toy". Along this journey, the boy establishes warm relationships with the man and refuses to stay with his father any longer. The message behind the story is that love and respect matter more than money.

Cast

Pierre Richard Pierre Richard (born Pierre-Richard Maurice Charles Léopold Defays; 16 August 1934) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter, best known for the roles of a clumsy daydreamer in comedy films. Pierre Richard is considered by many, such as ...

as François Perrin *

Michel Bouquet Michel Bouquet (6 November 1925 – 13 April 2022) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1947 to 2020. He won the Best Actor European Film Award for ''Toto the Hero'' in 1991 and two Best Actor Césars for ...

as Pierre Rambal-Cochet * Fabrice Greco as Eric Rambal-Cochet *

Jacques François Henri Jacques Daniel Paul François (16 May 1920 – 25 November 2003), known as Jacques François was a French actor. During a sixty-year career (1942–2002) he appeared in more than 120 films and over 30 stage productions. In 1948 he we ...

as Blénac *

Michel Aumont Michel Henri Aumont (15 October 1936 – 28 August 2019) was a French theatre, film, and television actor. Throughout his career, he gained four Molière Awards and nominations for three César Awards. In 2015, he was made Grand Officer of the Na ...

as Le directeur du magasin *

Gérard Jugnot Gérard Jugnot (; born 4 May 1951) is a French actor, film director, screenwriter and film producer. Jugnot was one of the founders of the comedy ''troupe'' Le Splendid in the 1970s, along with, among others, his high-school friends Christian C ...

as Pignier *

Éva Darlan Éva Darlan (''née'' Osty, born 3 September 1948) is a French actress, director, producer and writer. Career At the age of 14, she attended acting classes at the Cours Simon and starts at 16 years as an amateur. She took theater studies at th ...

as The Press Secretary *

Michel Robin Michel Robin (13 November 1930 – 18 November 2020) was a French film, stage, and television actor. A sociétaire of the Comédie-Française since 1996, he also appeared in 120 films from 1966 to 2018. He won several awards for his acting, ...

as The domestic * Charles Gérard as The photographer *

Yves Barsacq Yves Barsacq (17 June 1931 – 4 October 2015) was a French film actor, who appeared in more than 150 films. He is the son of the French-Russian production designer Léon Barsacq and the nephew of the French theatre director André Barsacq. ...

as Robert

References

External links

* * 1976 films 1976 comedy-drama films French comedy-drama films 1976 directorial debut films Films about children Films about friendship Films about journalists Films directed by Francis Veber Films scored by Vladimir Cosma 1976 comedy films 1976 drama films 1970s French films {{comedy-drama-film-stub