Two Is a Family

For me, Omar Sy is probably the foremost French actor of family comedies with a hint of contemporary drama. Any movie that he appears in is a joy to watch. By the way, the homage to Eddie Murphy was quite appropriate since they look awfully alike. And with his positive approach to acting along with his personality, he couldn’t possibly spoil a movie, including this one. Two Is a Family is a beautifully filmed human, amusing story that’s worth waiting for. It's a bit of a drag, but you get such a pleasant, warm feeling watching the movie that you don't really care, because this kind sense of humor can caress your soul. (2017-08-31)

I have nothing against bittersweet, moving films, but Two Is a Family is a manipulative and superficial calculation that is fundamentally unpleasantly torn between trying to find a serious relationship-parenting probe in the style of contemporary European dramas, and an inappropriately chosen overflow of Hollywood comedy stylization. Both of these contradictory approaches interfere with each other. The result seems as if the creators want to shoot a new version of Kramer vs. Kramer, but to make it come off to the audience more like Big Daddy with Adam Sandler, which reliably kills any impression of realism. The first quarter of an hour is basically great, but the rest is an artificial spasm that is too bitter for comedy and too flat, transparent and unbelievable for drama. (2017-11-02)

The story of this film is a bit expected, there's nothing all that downright surprising about it, but you have to give it credit for being so well cast that it just sweeps you away. Omar Sy is such a great actor that he can handle any scene, whether it's a hotshot, a father loving his daughter, or an overwhelmed man. Everything works for him perfectly. (2018-02-16)

Definitely one of the best, most intense and powerful films of the year. Omar Sy has another excellent role after The Intouchables and proves that he is one of the funniest black actors ever. Hugo Gélin has written another role tailor-made for him and this time instead of an immobile senior citizen he is in charge of a little girl, which is closer to my personal taste and the whole film had a huge impact on me. Omar has given up his life to give his daughter his all, a dream come true for every child and I think we can all agree that everyone would want a father like him. There is no shortage of funny moments, suspenseful moments, movie set moments, and poignant scenes that, especially in the final minutes, mine emotion so strongly that my eyes are still stinging two hours after it's over. I haven't screamed so hard at anything and yet it is not an emotional wipeout. An incredible film and France in full force again. 100%. (2017-04-25)

For the second time in two days, I had to turn off the cynical bastard in me to enjoy an endearingly heart-aching movie. If I had been looking forward to a great comedy, I would have been disappointed, but as a drama, it works perfectly. I don't know why, but I like Omar Sy, whether he's playing an unexpected dad, a caretaker, a cook, or a gangster. He's accompanied by superb Clémence Poésy here, and it sure is a success. Maybe I also liked the film because I was expecting more of a goofy flick with a lovey-dovey happy ending. Instead, I got a drama that kept me entertained and the two hours just raced by. I hope the French filmmakers don't plan on making more of this sort of thing, I'd hate to change my negative attitude towards the French cinema. (2017-08-27)