L'Heure d'été (Summer Hours) poster & wallpaper
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Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling, Jérémie Renier, Edith Scob, Dominique Reymond ... see more see more... , Valérie Bonneton , Isabelle Sadoyan , Kyle Eastwood , Alice de Lencquesaing , Emile Berling , Jean-Baptiste Malartre

Three siblings must come to terms with their mother's mortality as they decide what to do with her valuable belongings in this warm family drama from filmmaker Olivier Assayas. Hélène Berthier (Edith ... read more read more...Scob) is about to turn 75, and her children are gathering at her home in the country for a party. Adrienne (Juliette Binoche) has flown in from New York City, where she lives with her boyfriend, James (Kyle Eastwood). Jérémie (Jérémie Renier) has taken a rare break from his globe-trotting business interests to stop by with his wife (Valérie Bonneton). And Frédéric (Charles Berling), the only one who lives close enough to visit regularly, has also come with his spouse, Lisa (Dominique Reymond). Hélène has inherited a large and valuable collection of art from her brother, and with her health beginning to fail, she approaches Frédéric and asks that he, Jérémie, and Adrienne come up with a plan to deal with the pieces after her death. Frédéric wants to keep the collection together and see if they can persuade a gallery to purchase and present them as a set. Jérémie and Adrienne have other ideas, but as he's pondering a business opportunity in China and she's planning on settling in America for good, they don't have as much influence over the final decision as Frédéric. L'Heure d'Été (aka Summer Hours) was produced in part by the celebrated French art gallery Musée d'Orsay, and was one of a handful of films created to honor the museum in its 20th anniversary year. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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62% liked it

18,409 ratings

Critics

93% liked it

98 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 42 min.

Directed by: Olivier Assayas

Release Date: May 15, 2009

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DVD Release Date: April 20, 2010

Stats: 447 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (447)

  • 5oclockcoffee
    February 8, 2012
    5oclockcoffee
    "Summer Hours" is a movie about life just like life is. Such as we see in "L´eau froide", Olivier Assayas offer us great and naturalistic interpretations/characters placed in simple stories without almost any action. As realistic as it is possible.


  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    March 2, 2011
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    "Summer Hours" from Olivier Assayas is a completely absorbing and poignant character piece; one of the finest and most authentic films about the family dynamic and the unexpected twists and turns our lives take I've ever seen. Assayas crafts an extremely intimate film here. Where... read moreas a lesser filmmaker would have audiences feeling as if they were intruding on matters so personal, he invites us into his narrative and makes us a part of his characters lives. It's lush, warm, and soothing visuals and tone ensure that we've enjoyed our stay. A remarkable and heartwarming triumph.
  • hunterjt13
    February 20, 2011
    hunterjt13
    A kindly matriarch leaves her palatial country estate to her three grown children who, after her death, debate whether or not to sell and what is lost if they do.
    The concept for the film is strong, and by and large, the performances are subtle, nuanced, and strong. However, the... read more film is simply too slow. At about the beginning of the second act, we've already figured out the film's theme and have a very good idea about how it's going to end, and for the last hour, we're waiting for the film to catch up to its audience.
  • itsjustme2004
    January 19, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    A typical French film: heavy on feelings, and relationships, with no seeming action or purpose. Well done, good insight into people trying to lead a good life, showing life takes control of us and goes on in spite of ourselves. But unbearably slow...ZZZzzzzzzzzzz.
  • neverteaseaweasel
    September 24, 2010
    neverteaseaweasel
    They say that you should never judge things by their cover and I've always been among the rebellious minority who ignore this advice. After all, a cover or poster is usually more than sufficient to reveal a film's style and purpose. However, in the case of Summer Hours, 'they' ar... read moree acutally right. The marketing of the film is incredibly tacky, while the actual film is incredibly beautiful. Rarely is afilm that strives for so much realism this artistic and lavish in it's design. Every scene, every moment, every shot is just so simple and low key. Part of the beauty even seems to stem from the fact that everythiing is definitely very real, incredibly beautiful, but real. The family dynamics and relationships are great and well-done, but that really isn't what stuck with me in the end. Ultimately, it is a peaceful and poetic film; one that lacks pretension and one that creates a family and world that realistically reflects the brighter side of humanity.
  • 366weirdmovies
    July 7, 2009
    366weirdmovies
    Three siblings amicably divide a large French estate. Thoughtful, realistic and well-acted, but mundane, and even tedious at times.
  • gor41
    November 29, 2008
    gor41
    Slight but affecting family tale which branches out into art's place in history and peoples' affections.
  • gator681
    February 25, 2011
    gator681
    Even with a couple of plot lines that end up in blind alleys, "Summer Hours" is a poignant and touching look at the passage of time in a single family as it moves further apart, with jumps in time from sequence to sequence. It starts innocently enough with the 75th birthday cele... read morebration for Helene(Edith Scob) where she tells her oldest, Frederic(Charles Berling, who is excellent), an economist and writer, what she would like to happen to her house and belongings once she dies, forgetting what happened to King Lear when he tried something similar. It's actually more important than just a simple family matter, as she lives in a veritable museum that the Musee D'Orsay covets due to her uncle being a famous painter in his day. Frederic is stuck with the job because he is the only one still living in France while his siblings Adrienne(Juliette Binoche) and Jeremie(Jeremie Renier) live and work abroad. Frederic's intention is to keep the home where they all grew up in the family. To the movie's credit, they act like a real family as the siblings joke about old memories shared between them. All of whom are entering the stage in their lives where they are now the oldest in their families, to paraphrase "The Sopranos." In the end, "Summer Hours," in its own simple way, reminds us that all things come to an end, with all that is left is memories and a badly tended grave.
  • fb1144932598
    May 28, 2010
    fb1144932598
    The narrative framework of this quiet character study revolves around the death of the family matriarch and its aftermath. Helene (Edith Scob) lives on a beautiful country estate, filled with the art and furniture that had been collected by her uncle, a famous French artist. Afte... read morer her death, her three children are left to sort out how to handle the dispersal of the estate. The three main characters, Frederic (Charles Berning), Adrienne (Juliette Binoche), and Jeremie (Jeremie Renier), brilliantly played, struggle with what to sell and what to keep. The interplay between the three comes across as real, and the emotions on display are conveyed masterfully. There is humor that felt natural and unforced. There is conflict, but so subtle and subdued that one is struck by how civil these three siblings are toward each other when dealing with incompatible desires. The scenery and sets are gorgeous, meticulous in their detail. One constantly wants to inhabit these peopleâ??s lives. There are a couple of side stories that seemed out of place and underdeveloped, as if thrown in to flesh out the film to feature length. It proved enough to mar the near perfect direction by Olivier Assayas, but not enough to spoil the experience.
  • fb796967648
    May 17, 2009
    fb796967648
    Absolutely exquisite. The kind of film we can never make... Subtle, quiet, tiny and so, so accurate. This portrait of family at a time of change sneaks away from big emotion at every turn, only to be that much more moving. Shot like a dream, deeply felt and nuanced, this stun... read morener is not to be missed.

View All L'Heure d'été (Summer Hours) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Derek Elley
December 16, 2009
Derek Elley, Variety

Assayas' script is more allusive than demonstrative, with a distinct whiff of Eric Rohmer in its conversational blocks separated by fadeouts. Full Review

Jonathan F. Richards
August 23, 2009
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com

n Summer Hours, Olivier Assayas's gently provocative rumination on family and possessions, a trio of siblings wrestles with the problem of what to do with the old homestead once Mother is gone. Full Review

Ray Bennett
June 19, 2009
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter

Evocative look at a family trying to decide what to do with its treasures.

Stephen Cole
June 19, 2009
Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail

Where a Hollywood film of a family feuding over a fabulous estate would surely end with a slapped face and an infantry charge of lawyers, Assayas's work concludes with a smile and a shrug. Life goes o... Full Review

Greg Quill
June 19, 2009
Greg Quill, Toronto Star

Performances in this small and profoundly eloquent film are superb, yet none redirects attention from Assayas's earnest meditation on the ravaging effects of a shrinking world on family traditions and... Full Review

Peter Rainer
June 11, 2009
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

This is a movie that, for all its once-over-lightliness, stays with one. Given what it's about, and the intelligence of its makers, how could it not? Full Review

Colin Covert
June 5, 2009
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

While the ideas are worth considering, director Olivier Assayas moves the story at an escargot's pace, and the characters are gossamer thin. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
May 29, 2009
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Summer Hours begins with an energetic treasure hunt. It ends reminding us how our lives are spent learning and unlearning what is to be treasured. Full Review

Ben Mankiewicz
May 26, 2009
Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies

I think you should see Summer Hours. Full Review

Ben Lyons
May 26, 2009
Ben Lyons, At the Movies

This is a well constructed, tender, authentic story. Full Review

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