
The Decline of the American Empire
Seen it?1986 | 101 min | Comedy, Drama
Why it’s a Saturday Special
It earned strong reviews (86% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it made about 17 times its budget, despite little lasting buzz. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who wants a laugh. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Funny with heart.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 41 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in French, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
Four very different Montreal university teachers gather at a rambling country house to prepare a dinner. Remy (married), Claude (a homosexual), Pierre (involved with a girlfriend) and Alain (a bachelor) discuss sex, the female body and their affairs with them. Meanwhile, their four female guests, Louise (Remy's wife of 15 years), Dominique (a spinster), Diane (a divorcée) and Danielle (Pierre's girlfriend) are spending the time at a downtown health gym. They also discuss sex, the female body and, naturally, men. Later in the evening, they finally meet at the country house and have dinner. A ninth guest, named Mario, who used to know Diane, drops in on the group for some talk and has a surprise of his own.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
86% on Rotten Tomatoes, 60 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
6.7 out of 10
- AwardsSolid
Won 1 Cannes award: Cannes Film Festival: Best Foreign Language Film. Also nominated for 1 Oscar. Plus 13 other awards.
- Box office & staying powerStrong
$30 million worldwide on a $2 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 18K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Denys Arcand
- Dominique MichelDominique
- Dorothée BerrymanLouise
- Louise PortalDiane
- Pierre CurziPierre
- Rémy GirardRémy
- Yves JacquesClaude
- Geneviève RiouxDanielle
- Daniel BrièreAlain
- Gabriel ArcandMario
- Évelyn RegimbaldTheresa

