Samba (2014 film)
| Samba | |
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Film poster
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| Directed by | |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Based on |
Samba pour la France by Delphine Coulin |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Ludovico Einaudi |
| Cinematography | Stéphane Fontaine |
| Edited by | Dorian Rigal-Ansous |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Gaumont |
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Release date
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Running time
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119 minutes |
| Country | France |
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| Budget | $15.4 million |
| Box office | $31.1 million |
Samba is a 2014 French comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano. It is the second collaboration between Sy and directors Nakache and Toledano after 2012's The Intouchables.
The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2014. It had a theatrical release on 15 October 2014 in France. The U.S. theatrical release is set for 24 July 2015.
Samba Cissé (Omar Sy), a migrant from Senegal to France, works as a dish washer in a hotel. After a bureaucratic slip-up lands him in a detention, he is ordered to leave France. With the help of an immigration officer (Charlotte Gainsbourg), he fights to stay in France.
The film generated mixed reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 50% of 10 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 5.5 out of 10.
Peter Debruge of Variety called the film "A highly polished, widely appealing big-budget French movie." He praised Omar Sy's performance in the film that "Sy’s position as one of France’s most magnetic screen personalities, even more compelling to watch in serious scenes than in the obligatory comedic bits." Sam Woolf gave the film a positive review in We Got This Covered, saying that "The immigrant's struggle is brought to pulsating life in Samba, which works best as an affecting and amusing star vehicle for Omar Sy."
However, Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter criticized the film's plot: "The film's message is lost amid too many plot contrivances." He concluded that it's "another crowdpleasing social dramedy from the makers of "Intouchables," though one that wears out its welcome without bringing its message home." Mark Adams from Screen International in his review said that it is a "well-meaning and occasionally joyous film that is ultimately too scattershot in its format and tone to really work."
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