Themes: Fathers and Sons, Runaways, Nothing Goes Right
Main Cast: Pierre Richard, Gérard Depardieu, Anny Duperey, Michel Aumont, Stephane Bierry
Release Year: 1983
Country: FR
Run Time: 105 minutes
Plot
When her teen-aged son (Stephane Bierry) runs away and the police are noncommittal, a woman (Anne Duperey) convinces two old flames -- a crusading journalist (Gerard Depardieu) and a hypochondriac (Pierre Richard) -- that each is the father of her son in order to spur someone into action. Both eventually decide to search for the boy, meet up, and tell each other their stories without realizing they are looking for the same kid. This French comedy was remade in the U.S. as Fathers' Day in 1997. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
Roland Blanche - Jeannot; Philippe Khorsand - Milan; Jean-Jacques Scheffer - Ralph; Bruno Allain; Maurice Barrier - Raffart; Christian Bianchi; Patrick Blondel - Stepane; Robert Dalban - Hotel receptionist; Luc-Antoine Diquero; Jacques Frantz - Verdier; Charlotte Maury - Mme. Raffart; Jacques Maury - Julien; Patrice Melennec; Florence Moreau - Michele Raffart; Patrick Laurent; Philippe Brigaud; Gisèle Pascal - Louise; Jacqueline Noelle; Patrick LeBarz; Jean-Claude Martin
Credit
Gerard Daoudal - Art Director, Françoise Menidrey - Casting, Corinne Jorry - Costume Designer, Francis Veber - Director, Marie-Sophie Dubus - Editor, Vladimir Cosma - Composer (Music Score), Thi Loan Nguyen - Makeup, Gerard Daoudal - Production Designer, Claude Agostini - Cinematographer, Jean-Claude Bourlat - Production Manager, Bernard Aubouy - Sound/Sound Designer, Francis Veber - Screenwriter
A teenaged son has run away from home. His father is ineffective at finding him, so his mother contacts two former lovers from around the time her son was conceived, telling them that the child is their son and asking them to look for him. One of them (Depardieu) is a tough journalist investigating the Mafia, while the other (Richard) is a timid former teacher who was on the verge of committing suicide when he received the telephone call. The two former boyfriends finally meet, and together they locate the son. In the end the son tells both Depardieu and Richard (while the other is out of earshot) that his mother thinks that he is the father. Thus, the son adopts both of them as his fathers, and also reconciles with his real father.
The title translates literally as "The Accomplices." It is a pun, as the word "père" means "father" in French, and moreover
"compère" would mean something like "co-father", "confather", with the same (Latin) prefix as the English con-/com-/co- in words like "confederate", "accomplice", "co-conspirator", etc.
