Themes: Cons and Scams, Small-Town Life, Down on Their Luck
Main Cast: Raymond Bouchard, David Boutin, Benoit Briere, Bruno Blanchet, Pierre Collin
Release Year: 2002
Country: CA
Run Time: 108 minutes
Plot
Chosen to close the Director's Fortnight section of the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, director Jean-François Pouliot's comedy chronicles the chaos wreaked when a small, down-on-its-luck town is seduced by the promise of having a big-time manufacturing plant -- on one unique condition. It seems that the company isn't willing to move to the isolated, Quebec-countryside burgh unless the mayor (Raymond Bouchard) and townsfolk can procure a doctor for them. Salvation arrives in the form of Lewis (David Boutin), a mild-mannered man from Montreal whom the townspeople begin to try to impress, persuade, or otherwise cajole into taking the job. Their methods, however, become so devious -- going so far as to tap the good doctor's phone line -- that they run the risk of being found out, and upsetting their one shot at prosperity in the process. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Cast
Raymond Bouchard - Mayor Germain Lesage
David Boutin - Dr Christopher Lewis
Benoit Briere - Henri Giroux
Bruno Blanchet - Steve Laurin
Pierre Collin - Yvon Brunet
Lucie Laurier - Ève Beauchemin; Rita Lafontaine - Hélène Lesage; Claude Gasse - Waiter; Roc Lafortune - Charles Campeau; Gilles Pelletier - Alphonse Pinsonneault; Donald Pilon - Monsieur Dupré; Marc Legault - Marcel Sigouin; Marie-France Lambert - Sylvie Auget; Guy-Daniel Tremblay - Rolland Lesage; Frederic Desager - Dr Paul Gosselin; Caroline Neron - Voice of Brigitte; Denis Houle - Bartender; Serge Christiaenssens - Monsieur Nadeau; Louis-Philippe Dury - Jules Auger; Alexandrine Agostini - Francine Fournier; Real Bosse - Denis Lacoste; Daniel Rousse - Marcel Thibodeau; Ken Scott - Richard Auger; Clèmence DesRochers - Clothilde Brunet; Nathalie Gascon - Madame Martin; Dominic Michon-Dagenais - Little Germain; Nadia Drouin - Simone Lesage; Guy Vaillancourt - Claude Larivée; Jean-Pierre Gonthier - Mayor Réal Fournier; Caroline Bouchard - Lucie Giroux; Betty Jones - Marlène Giroux; Nadia Rowsell - Valérie Fournier; Philippe Daneault - Runner; Raphaël Grenier - Jacob Auger; Louis Wiriot - Cook; Louis-Philippe Dandenault - Bertrand Pitt; Manon Gauthier - Mireille Laurin; Véronique Pinette - Chloé Landry; Gisèle Trépanier - Denise Campeau; Luc-Martial Dagenais - Lawyer
Credit
Normand Sarrazin - Art Director, Lucie Robitaille - Casting, Jean-Marie Benoit - Conductor, Louise Gagne - Costume Designer, Mireille Goulet - First Assistant Director, Jean-François Pouliot - Director, Dominique Fortin - Editor, Matthieu Tessier - Hair Styles, Sandro Di Gioacchino - Hair Styles, Brigitte Levesque - Location Manager, Louise Bédard - Location Manager, Jean-Marie Benoit - Composer (Music Score), Lorraine Craig - Makeup, Normand Sarrazin - Production Designer, Daniel Hamelin - Production Designer, Allen Smith - Cinematographer, Sylvie De Grandpré - Production Manager, Roger Frappier - Producer, Luc Vandal - Producer, Marcel Pothier - Sound/Sound Designer, Rejean Juteau - Sound/Sound Designer, Carole Gagnon - Sound Editor, Jacques Plante - Sound Editor, Guy Francoeur - Sound Editor, Claude Hazanavicius - Sound Recordist, Ken Scott - Screenwriter, Robert Guertin - Second Unit Camera, Sébastien Bergeron - Visual Effects Supervisor, Antoine Morin - Sound Effects Editor, Jacques Fortier - Gaffer, Sylvie Lacoste - Post Production Coordinator, Claude Brunet - Production Coordinator, Denis Caspar - Properties, Gilbert Verreault - Properties, Michel Descombes - Re-Recording Mixer, Monique Gervais - Script Supervisor, Aurée Tommi-Lepage - Second Assistant Director, Pierre Raymond - Visual Effects Producer, Sylvie Gagnon - Costume/Wardrobe, Lynn Charette - Costume/Wardrobe, Nathalie Chrétien - Costume/Wardrobe, Gaétan Landry - Key Hairstylist, Nadine Gilliot - Key Make-up, Steeve Bouchard - Production Accountant, Hybride Technologies - Visual Effects, Ken Meany - Set Decorator, Daniel Hamelin - Set Decorator, Lise Dagenais - Title Design
La grande séduction (Seducing Doctor Lewis) is a 2003Québécoiscomedy film and the first film directed by Jean-François Pouliot. The script was written by Ken Scott. It won the "Audience Award" at 2004Sundance Film Festival. Starring in the movie is Raymond Bouchard, Dominic Michon-Dagenais, David Boutin and Guy-Daniel Tremblay and the great Yanick Villeneuve from such movies as "On the Massive Range" and "Cooking with Mammy".
The movie was filmed at an island with a population of about 300, Harrington Harbour, Quebec, Canada. The film's producers felt the island looked too pretty to fill the role of a fishing village experiencing hard times, so they worsened its appearance in the movie.
Set in the little harbour village of Ste-Marie-La-Mauderne, the vanishing fish stocks of a once thriving community have plummeted and pushed the village into decline, forcing the fishermen to rely on government welfare.
When a small company considers building a factory on the island, the villagers see a chance where they can finally stop their once beautiful village declining and restore it to its former glory. Complications arise as it becomes clear that the factory cannot be built without a resident doctor, which is one of the things which the small town does not possess.
Seeking to attract the young Dr Lewis (David Boutin), Germain (Raymond Bouchard) leads the village into transformation. It’s the beginning of the seduction. Everything is done for the doctor to try and please him, from the women’s dress code to the food, even the patients' illnesses. Even the most disillusioned villagers rally to the cause. The entire village works together and with huge dedication towards trying to convince the doctor that Ste-Marie-La-Mauderne is the ideal place to live.
Awards
Winner - Sundance Film Festival: World Cinema Audience Award
Nomination - Toronto Film Festival: Special Presentation
