''L'Auberge Espagnole'' (; literally: "the Spanish inn"), also known as ''Pot Luck'' (UK) and ''The Spanish Apartment'' (Australia), is a 2002 French-Spanish film directed and written 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 ...

. It is a co-production of Mate Production, Via Digital, BAC Films, ',

France 2 Cinéma France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on 7 ...

and Studio Canal). An economics graduate student from France, Xavier, spends a year in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

to study. His fellow

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' wa ...

students are from all over

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

and have a

flatshare A roommate is a person with whom one shares a living facility such as a room or dormitory ''except'' when being family or romantically involved. Similar terms include dormmate, suitemate, housemate, or flatmate ("flat": the usual term in Briti ...

. They each speak different languages and have different cultural standards. The film is told in the first person by Xavier. The dialogue is mostly in French, with some English and much Spanish, a little Catalan, Danish, German and Italian. It is the first part of the '' Spanish Apartment'' trilogy, which continues in the sequels '' Russian Dolls'' (2005) and ''

Chinese Puzzle ''Chinese Puzzle'' (french: Casse-tête chinois) is a 2013 French comedy-drama film written and directed by Cédric Klapisch. It is the third chapter of the ''Spanish Apartment trilogy'', after ''L'Auberge Espagnole'' (2002) and ''Russian Dolls ( ...

'' (2013).

Plot

Xavier (

Romain Duris Romain Duris (; born 28 May 1974) is a French actor. He is known for his role in Cédric Klapisch's ''Spanish Apartment'' trilogy, which consists of ''L'Auberge Espagnole'' (2002), '' Russian Dolls'' (2005), and ''Chinese Puzzle'' (2013). He also ...

), a 24-year-old student from France, attends the Erasmus programme in Barcelona to further his career, against the wishes of his girlfriend Martine ( Audrey Tautou). On the flight, Xavier meets a married couple from France, a doctor and his wife. They invite him to stay in their home while he looks for somewhere to live. Xavier finds a flatshare with students from England, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Denmark. The roommates develop a companionship as they struggle with their different languages and cultures. Martine visits Xavier and returns disappointed when she realizes things are not the same. Xavier begins an affair with the French doctor's wife, using seduction tips learned from Isabelle (

Cécile de France Cécile de France (; born 17 July 1975) is a Belgian actress. After achieving success in French cinema hits such as ''L'Art (délicat) de la séduction'' (2001) and ''Irène'' (2002), she gained international attention for her lead roles in ''Hi ...

), his lesbian roommate from Belgium. William arrives from England to visit his sister Wendy and creates tension with his abrasive manner and culturally insensitive comments. Xavier gets depressed and hallucinates after Martine breaks up with him. He seeks the doctor's advice, but the doctor tells Xavier that his wife has confessed everything, and tells him to stop seeing her. Discord divides the roommates, but they come together to aid Wendy, who was nearly caught by her boyfriend in a romantic encounter with an American. After saying goodbye to his new close friends, Xavier returns to Paris and gets his desired job at the ministry, but realizes that his experiences in Spain have changed him. He subsequently runs away on his first day on the job and pursues his dream to become a writer, recounting the story of his experiences in the ''Auberge Espagnole''. Towards the end Xavier can be seen getting together with his now ex-girlfriend Martine as well.

Cast

as Xavier *

Barnaby Metschurat Barnaby Metschurat (born 22 September 1974, in Berlin) is a German actor. He completed his training at the school ''Die Etage'' in Berlin. One of his first television roles was in 1993 as Kaspar Riedel in the German TV series '' Unser Lehrer Dok ...

as Tobias *

Judith Godrèche Judith Godrèche (born 23 March 1972) is a French actress and author. She has appeared in more than 30 films. Early life Godrèche was born in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. Her father is a psychoanalyst, and her mother a child therapist. He ...

as Anne-Sophie *

as Isabelle *

Kelly Reilly Jessica Kelly Siobhán Reilly (born 18 July 1977) is an English actress. She first appeared on screen in 1995 on the series '' The Biz''. Her other television work includes starring roles in the British crime drama '' Above Suspicion'' (2009– ...

as Wendy * Audrey Tautou as Martine *

Cristina Brondo Cristina is a female given name, and it is also a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Cristina (daughter of Edward the Exile), 11th-century English princess * Cristina (singer), Cristina Monet-Palaci (1956–2020), American ...

as Soledad *

Kevin Bishop Kevin Brian Bishop (born 18 June 1980) is a British actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his roles as Jim Hawkins in ''Muppet Treasure Island'', Stupid Brian in ''My Family'', and Nigel Norman Fletcher in the 2016 revival of ''Porr ...

as William *

Wladimir Yordanoff Wladimir Yordanoff ( bg, Владимир Йорданов; 28 March 1954 – 6 October 2020) was a French actor of Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic et ...

as Jean-Michel Perrin *

Federico D'Anna Federico (; ) is a given name and surname. It is a form of Frederick, most commonly found in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. People with the given name Federico Artists * Federico Ágreda, Venezuelan composer and DJ. * Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, ...

as Alessandro *

Christian Pagh Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...

as Lars *

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 The barman *

Lise Lamétrie Lise may refer to: People *Eliseo Nicolás Alonso (known as Lise; 1955–2012), Spanish woodcarver and sculptor *Claude Lise (born 1941), French politician from Martinique Given name Lise is a variant of the given name Lisa *Lise de Baissac, Mau ...

as The woman in the ministry *

Martine Demaret Martine is a feminine given name and a surname. Given name * Martine Aubry (born 1950), French politician * Martine Audet (born 1961), Canadian poet * Martine Aurillac (born 1939), French politician * Martine Baay-Timmerman (born 1958), Dutch pol ...

as Xavier's mother *

Jacno Jacno (3 July 1957 in Paris – 6 November 2009) was a French musician. Born as Denis Quilliard, he was a founding member of the first French punk band The Stinky Toys. In the early 1980s, after the group disbanded, he teamed up with former S ...

as Xavier's father * Olivier Raynal as Bruce *

Iddo Goldberg Iddo Goldberg ( he, עדו גולדברג; born 5 August 1975) is an Israeli-British actor born in Israel. He is known for his roles as Ben in ''Secret Diary of a Call Girl'', Freddie Thorne in ''Peaky Blinders'', Isaac Walton in '' Salem'' and ...

as Alistair *

Irene Montalà Irene Montalà (born 18 June 1976) is a Spanish actress born in the district of Nou Barris of Barcelona. She is the daughter of Mercè Montalà. She studied interpretation with Txiki Berrando and Manuel Lillo. She has also studied dancing and ...

as Neus

Title

The phrase ''auberge espagnole'' is a French idiom, literally translated as "Spanish inn" or "Spanish hotel". It describes a place where customers can eat what they bring – by extension, that one must be independent. Another French interpretation is what in English is known as "

Going Dutch "Going Dutch" (sometimes written with lower-case dutch) is a term that indicates that each person participating in a paid activity covers their own expenses, rather than any one person in the group defraying the cost for the entire group. The term ...

" or "

potluck A potluck is a communal gathering where each guest or group contributes a different, often homemade, dish of food to be shared. Other names for a "potluck" include: potluck dinner, pitch-in, shared lunch, spread, faith supper, carry-in dinner, ...

", hence its English title. A third meaning of ''auberge espagnole'' is a common resting area for travellers from a variety of different cultures and regions.

Soundtrack

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

– "

No Surprises "No Surprises" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released as the fourth and final single from their third studio album, '' OK Computer'' (1997), on 12 January 1998. It reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. It featur ...

" *

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...

– "

Aerodynamic Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dyn ...

" *

Sonia & Selena Sonia & Selena, also known as Sonia y Selena, was a Spanish Latin pop duo formed by Sonia Madoc and Selena Leo in 2000. They gained success with their first album ''Yo quiero bailar'' ( es, I want to dance). The group dissolved in 2002. Histo ...

– "Que Viva La Noche" *

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...

– "

Te Deum The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Chur ...

" *

Ali Farka Touré Ali Ibrahim "Ali Farka" Touré (31 October 1939 – 6 March 2006) was a Malian singer and multi-instrumentalist, and one of the African continent's most internationally renowned musicians. His music blends traditional Malian music and its deriv ...

– "Ai Du" *

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

– " Opus 64 No 2 Waltz in C sharp minor" * Africando All Stars – "Betece" *

Mala Rodriguez Mala may refer to: Comics * Mala (Amazon), an Amazon from Wonder Woman's side of the DC Universe * Mala (Kryptonian), a villain from Superman's corner of the DC Universe Films and television * ''Mala'' (1941 film), a Bollywood drama film * , a ...

– "La Cocinera"

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film has an approval rating of 76%, based on 92 reviews, with an average rating of 6.53/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "This multicultural comedy captures the chaos and excitement of being young." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Awards

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Auberge Espagnole, L' 2002 films 2002 romantic comedy films Catalan-language films 2000s Danish-language films 2000s English-language films English-language French films English-language Spanish films Films directed by Cédric Klapisch Films set in Barcelona Films shot in Paris Films shot in Barcelona 2000s French-language films 2000s German-language films 2000s Italian-language films 2000s Spanish-language films French LGBT-related films Lesbian-related films Spanish LGBT-related films 2002 LGBT-related films Filmax films France 2 Cinéma films StudioCanal films Castelao Producciones films 2002 multilingual films French multilingual films Spanish multilingual films Spanish-language French films 2000s French films 2000s Spanish films