Le Papillon ("The Butterfly") is a lightweight, charming, and mostly successful film. This story of a crotchety old butterfly collector (Michel Serrault) traveling--at first unwittingly--with a precocious young girl (Claire Bouanich) offers no new Insights On The Human Condition, but is pleasant, funny and touching in parts.
Both leads are very effective; in particular Claire Bouanich as youngster Elsa is very cute without ever becoming too hammy.
***************** Now, HERE IS THE MILD NON-SPECIFIC SPOILER: This movie works quite nicely all the way up to the end, at which point writer/director Philippe Muyl decides to throw in the SECOND of two rather miraculous coincidences. The first coincidence/miracle is wonderful, and could have provided more than enough "magic" for the conclusion. But, it seems Muyl doesn't trust the emotional weight of his own story and tacks on, in what's almost a throwaway line, a second amazing coincidence. For me at least, this cheapens the film somewhat. *****************END OF SPOILER
That caveat notwithstanding, I still enjoyed it very much and recommend it to viewers who are looking for a bit of light entertainment with beautiful scenery and excellent performances. 7.5/10
The Butterfly
2002 [FRENCH]
Adventure / Comedy / Drama
7.1/10
3.4K
Plot summary
An old man who has one interest in life, collecting butterflies, has his life changed by an eight year old girl.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
January 01, 2021 at 01:00 PM
Director
Top cast
Movie Reviews
The Director Should Trust His Own Movie - Mild Spoiler!
Sweet and ephemeral
I can't remember the last time I watched a movie to the end of the credits and immediately went back to the titles and watched it all over again. I was in need of some cheering up. Parents can watch "The Butterfly" with their children and everyone in the room will enjoy it.
It is a pleasure to see a child actor who is as natural and believable as Claire Bouanich. I'm guessing she didn't know she was working with a legend -- but maybe she did. Anyway, she more than holds her own with Michel Serrault.
Some of the "life lessons" taught in "The Butterfly" are a little pat. Some of the coincidences are a bit contrived. But that's OK. The beautiful scenery, witty banter between the two leads and the lessons they learn from each other make up for any deficiencies. Sometimes what we need or want most in our lives really is right under our noses. This movie is a gentle reminder of that basic truth. Very sweet and endearing.