7.9 million admissions in 1994! This comic duo is reforming about a subject that has never been seen in cinema before

What is it about? In their sixties, two friends in financial trouble take advantage of their image in the world of fashion and advertising. One is still beautiful, the other never was. But beyond appearances, what is it like to be in retirement today?

After almost 30 years of “Indian in the city”…

Indian in the City (1994) Almost 30 years after their first film together, Thierry Lhermitte and Patrick Timsit find themselves again in Sexygénaires. Robin Sykes explains: “I wanted to find them on screen, to feed the film with their participation. I wrote them for Michelle and Dennis, taking into account the development of both of them, their careers as actors, public figures and people.”

“The film confronts what Michelle and Denise have become at the age of 25. The fact that they are ‘sex-geners’ is an excuse to tell the story of a friendship of more than 40 years. The one that unites Patrick and Thierry in life has nourished each scene. Personally, I believe in the unbreakable of having a bond that will survive time, of shared values ​​that will not decay.”

when it came out Indian in the city It took second place at the French box office in 1994, with an estimated 7.9 million releases (behind The Lion King and its 10 million+ releases).

The birth of the project

The first version of the script was developed by Alice Larnicole, who is a friend of Robin Sykes and had already starred in La Finale, the filmmaker’s previous film. He recalls: “There were topics that concerned me with my parents, with my friends, at this age that I’m getting closer to. sexy ones There’s a comedy about all the questions we ask ourselves on the horizon of retirement: stop working, move on, lose social ties, love again but differently…”

“Our relationship with aging has been upside down for fifteen years now, and the thoughts it evokes are fiercely relevant. I also wanted to make a film again with Thierry Lhermitte and co-star with Patrick Timsitt. Antoine RaimbeauWe went back to the original script by emphasizing the emotions of the characters, looking for a mix of tones like in the finale. We also wanted to rediscover the world of 80s social comedies Michael White especially.”

shadow man

in the scenario Robin Sykes Referred to Jean-Francois Hallin, who wrote several of Patrick Timsit’s shows and quite a few films he starred in, such as Paparazzi. Director says: “He knows his catchphrases, he was tailor-made for Patrick. Harun He also contributes to the dialogues: he, like Antoine and I, are moved by the same comedy, we wanted to find their taste. Two of our characters have the same name as the duo Walk in the shade !”

Senior modeling

Sexygenaires has a feature: it’s the first time a senior modeling in-between has been shown on film. Robin Sykes explains: “I fell in love with this world after I found out that Thierry Lhermitt’s makeup artist became a senior model. She started this new career and doesn’t work as a makeup artist anymore, except to be friends with Thierry.”

“She has an Instagram account with thousands of followers, she’s constantly traveling from New York to Moscow, through North Africa, for shoots and fashion shows. I was amazed: there is a market for adults that is very profitable with women over 60, hyper-dressed women. Colorful, Incredible haircuts and men with shiny beards.”

first…

Robin Sykes has already done Thierry Lhermitte in the final. On the other hand, he directs Patrick Timsit for the first time: “I waited a year and a half for it to become available. I had two good reasons: Patrick is one of those rare actors who brings out that honesty, that side that’s both exciting and charming; and the partnership between Michelle and Dennis is so. It’s as authentic as it gets.”

“I wanted to bring to life Timsitt, who made fun of me as a child, a character that he has abandoned for the last fifteen years, except on stage, in favor of more eclectic roles. Patrick is instinctive, unlike Thierry. He is not. He does not need to work upstream, except to read the script several times, He gets involved immediately. He likes to improvise, to propose.”

“And it wasn’t always easy to laugh or make people laugh with Covid! The theme of the film is as much about Patrick as it is about Thierry. When Dennis finds out his daughter is pregnant, he has this line ‘Grand’ – Dad, I can’t!” And it sounds like a rallying cry. Unlike Michelle, who is coming of age, Danny is in total denial.”The director recalls.