A New York teacher follows his French Canadian girlfriend to Quebec, where she's offered a job opportunity, and gets to know her family.
The bottom line: Bonne cuisine.
French Girl is a Canadian rom-com movie written and directed by James A. Woods and Nicholas Wright, the scribe duo of Independence Day: Resurgence (2016). It stars American actor and filmmaker Zach Braff (Wish I Was Here, Garden State, Scrubs), Canadian actress Évelyne Brochu (Dans l'ombre, Orphan Black) and American actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens (The Princess Switch, High Scool Musical).
Gordon Kinski (Braff) is an anxious, Shakespeare-loving, middle school English teacher. He lives in New York City with his chef girlfriend, Sophie Tremblay (Brochu), who's from Quebec. Celebrity restaurateur Ruby Collins (Hudgens), an old acquaintance of Sophie, comes to New York to ask her to interview for the executive chef position at Château Frontenac in Quebec City. Gordon accepts to follow his girlfriend in French Canada for the summer and he's eager to make a good impression to her family.
It doesn't start well when Sophie's parents (Luc Picard and Isabelle Vincent) see Gordon for the first time at the airport. Then, he meets Sophie's MMA fighter brother Junior (Antoine Olivier Pilon, Mommy) and the rest of the family. Sophie never told Gordon that Ruby Collins is her former lover. Past the cliche-esque French songs and the gags around the grandmother's dementia, French Girl is what a culture shock version of Meet the Parents would look like if helmed by Woody Allen for Hallmark.
Of course, Zach Braff plays his clumsy but sympathetic character with perfection, alongside the charming Évelyne Brochu as the definitely not French Sophie in a postcard Quebec City (thank you, Château Frontenac). Vanessa Hudgens' name-dropping kitchen superstar has a funny singing moment. French Girl is a pleasant comedy with a very good cast (William Fichtner is hilarious as Gordon's father). This is priceless in those uncertain times. Also with Charlotte Aubin, Muriel Dutil, Ed Weeks, etc. Special appearance by MMA fighter Georges Saint-Pierre.
Produced by Caramel Films in association with Crave. Valérie d'Auteuil and André Rouleau are the producers. Anders Bard, Noah Segal, Laurie May, Tim Ringuette, Omar Chalabi, James A. Woods and Nicholas Wright are the executive producers. Original music by Scott Price. Cinematography by Jean-François Lord. Editing by Yann Thibaudeau. Produced with the participation of Telefilm Canada, Québec Film and Television Tax Credit Gestion Sodec, Sodec and The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. Distributed by Elevation Pictures and Republic Pictures (Paramount).
https://www.elevationpictures.com/
https://www.lesoleil.com/arts/cinema/2024/03/12/chez-les-beaux-parents-un-new-yorkais-a-quebec-DXINYJNVUJBC7OFNBLVO3A44DA/
https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/DFHD/page_nhs_fra.aspx?id=676 (Château Frontenac)
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