''Riens du tout'' (English: ''Little Nothings'') is a 1992 French film directed by

Cédric Klapisch Cédric Klapisch ( ; born 4 September 1961) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. Life and career Klapisch was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine. He is from a Jewish family; his maternal grandparents were deported to ...

and written by him with

Jackie Berroyer Jackie Berroyer (born 24 May 1946) is a French actor, comedian and writer. Filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Berroyer, Jackie 1946 births Living people French male film actors French male television actors 20th-c ...

. Featuring

Fabrice Luchini Fabrice Luchini (; born Robert Luchini; 1 November 1951) is a French stage and film actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Potiche'', ''The Women on the 6th Floor'', and '' In the House''. For his role in the 2015 film '' Courted'' he won th ...

and an ensemble cast, in many often humorous cameos it explores the effects on the staff of a revival plan for a failing department store in Paris.

Plot

After 100 years, the Grandes Galeries department store in Paris is sinking: staff are listless, customers staying away, and profits vanishing. The board hire Mr Lepetit, giving him one year to turn it round or else it will close. They are in talks with Japanese investors who want the site for a luxury hotel. His plan starts with the staff who, he argues, need to believe in themselves, believe in each other, and transmit that belief to customers. A huge programme of activities commences, to build up the individuals and build a team spirit. Human nature being what it is, and the French being who they are, there are difficulties and there are failures. Overall, by the end of the year the remaining staff are well motivated, the store is well thought of, and profits have boomed. The board thank Lepetit, sack him, and close the store down. His efforts, and those of all the staff who believed in him, have doubled the price the Japanese are willing to pay.

Cast

as Lepetit * Daniel Berlioux as Jacques Martin *

Marc Berman Marc Berman (born October 31, 1980) is a politician and attorney, currently serving as a member of the California State Assembly. He is a Democrat representing the 24th Assembly District, encompassing parts of the San Francisco Peninsula and S ...

as Pizzuti *

Olivier Broche Olivier Broche (born 18 December 1963) is a French actor and producer. He is best known for playing in the cult TV series '' Les Deschiens'' (1993–2002), in which he play alongside Yolande Moreau Yolande Moreau (born 27 February 1953) i ...

as Lefèvre * Antoine Chappey as François *

Jean-Pierre Darroussin Jean-Pierre Darroussin (born 4 December 1953) is a French actor and filmmaker. He was born in Courbevoie, France. Theater Filmography Actor *1992: '' Riens du tout'' (directed by Cédric Klapisch starring Fabrice Luchini, Daniel Berlioux) ...

as Domrémy * Aurélie Guichard as Vanessa * Billy Komg as Mamadou *

Odette Laure Odette Laure (28 February 1917 – 10 June 2004) was a French actress and cabaret singer. She appeared in more than 50 films and television shows between 1950 and 2001. She was nominated for the César Award for Best Supporting Actress for ' ...

as Madame Yvonne * Elisabeth Macocco as Madame Dujardin * Marc Maury as Johnny Bonjour * Pierre-Olivier Mornas as Roger *

Jean-Michel Martial Jean-Michel is a French masculine given name. It may refer to : * Jean-Michel Arnold Jean-Michel Arnold, (1938 - September 4, 2019) is General Secretary of the Cinémathèque Française, vice President of UNESCO's IFTC (International Council for F ...

as Hubert * Maïté Nahyr as La directrice de coordination *

Fred Personne Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...

as Monsieur Roi * Lucette Raillat as Micheline * Eric Forterre as Fred *

Nathalie Richard Nathalie Richard (born 6 January 1963) is a French actress. Richard was born in Paris, France. She received the Prix Michel Simon film prize for most promising actress/actor for her role in the 1988 Jacques Rivette film '' Gang of Four''. Fi ...

as Claire * Marie Riva as Zaza * Sophie Simon as Pat *

Zinedine Soualem Zinedine Soualem (born 17 April 1957) is a French actor. He has appeared in at least five films directed by Cédric Klapisch. Personal life Soualem is Algerian by ancestry, and was at one point married to the actress Hiam Abbass Hiam Abba ...

as Aziz * Marina Tomé as Monitrice sourire *

Karin Viard Karin Viard (; born 24 January 1966) is a multi-award-winning French actress. She made her film debut in ''Tatie Danielle'' in 1990. She has appeared in films such as ''Delicatessen'', ''L'Emploi du temps'', ''Adultère, mode d'emploi'' and ''La ...

as Isabelle * Coraly Zahonero as Véronique *

Simon Abkarian Simon Abkarian (Armenian: Սիմոն Աբկարյան, born March 5, 1962) is a French-Armenian actor. Life and career Born in Gonesse, Val d'Oise, of Armenian descent, Abkarian spent his childhood in Lebanon. He moved to Los Angeles, wher ...

as Le danseur grec *

Olivier Rabourdin Olivier Rabourdin (born 3 March 1959) is a French film actor. He has appeared in more than seventy films since 1985. In 2010 he was nominated for a French César Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor (Meilleur acteur dans un second rôle) ...

as Chanteur métro

About the film

In this first film Klapisch's main purpose was to show the difference between the behavior of a person when he is alone and when he is in a group. In order to show this, he filmed the employees during their commute, at work and in other scenes of daily life, which made Klapisch style's reputation. This topic will become recurrent in many of his films.

References

External links

* 1992 films 1992 comedy films Films directed by Cédric Klapisch Films set in Paris French comedy films 1990s French-language films 1990s French films {{1990s-France-film-stub