Joy of Living
July 31, 2010 4:49 PM   Subscribe

After watching and loving Les Bronzes on Hulu, I'm now in search of movies in the theme of - the only thing I can think of - Joie de vivre.

European vacationers. Exotic locations. Mischievous relationships. Nobody lamenting their boring office jobs!

I'd love your recommendation of movies from nearly 60s-present that primarily show a Joie de vivre. A simple joyous love of living. Not gluttony, but happiness.

A quick summary of Les Bronzes; it's a tropical "club med" style inclusive resort. Fit carefree guys hang out playing and "working" while trying to casually seduce newly adventurous vacationing women. Laughs are had, some feelings are hurt but never seriously. Irreverent and inconsequential.

So I guess I'm looking for movies with:
- Joie de vivre, whether it's arts, food, relaxing, celebrating
- European mindsets
- Vacations or trips or exotic locations
- Definitely comedy
- Sexy is a plus!

Vague, huh? I think you could say Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing could fit into this. For whatever reason I really did not like Amelie or Happy Go Lucky. I definitely don't like generic Romantic Comedies. But really just lighthearted, happy, sexy, funny vacation movies.

Thanks!
posted by carlh to Media & Arts (13 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Is Under The Tuscan Sun too mainstream?
posted by parkerjackson at 5:28 PM on July 31, 2010


Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
posted by carsonb at 6:33 PM on July 31, 2010


The original Pink Panther movie.
posted by Madamina at 8:07 PM on July 31, 2010


With the same cast, the follow up "Les bronzés font du ski".
posted by McSly at 8:20 PM on July 31, 2010


Rules of the Game, although it ends in tragedy.
posted by cazoo at 8:22 PM on July 31, 2010


A Little Romance
posted by anshuman at 8:22 PM on July 31, 2010


Also Tampopo (aka Dandelion, apparently). It's not European, but it's very funny, and very joie de vivre. (And sorry - I didn't see your last line until after I posted A Little Romance - it's a romance, obviously, but check it out. It's definitely not generic.)
posted by anshuman at 8:29 PM on July 31, 2010


And I don't know why I'm doing this one at a time, but ... La Chevre. Gerard Depardieu and Pierre Richard. Not sexy, but silly-funny-happy.
posted by anshuman at 8:37 PM on July 31, 2010


Shirley Valentine
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:56 AM on August 1, 2010


Documentary: Endless Summer II
posted by dobbs at 10:57 AM on August 1, 2010


'Mamma Mia', 'Y Tu Mama Tambien', though the second is Mexican.
posted by Deor at 4:28 PM on August 1, 2010


Y Tu Mama Tambien is an excellent movie, but it's not a light-hearted comedy by any means.

Les Bronzés 3 : Amis pour la vie
Blame It On Rio
Tom Jones
posted by anotherkate at 12:33 AM on August 2, 2010


Les Visiteurs, for sure (many of the same cast members) and Les Visiteurs 2. Absolute classics of French comedy and recent enough to still be hilarious.

Also, same cast as Les Bronzes, Le père Noël est une ordure (not sure if it's available with English subtitles).
posted by Dragonness at 12:58 PM on August 3, 2010


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