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Alexandra Lamy, Sergi López, Mélusine Mayance, Arthur Peyret, André Wilms ... see more see more... , Jean-Claude Bolle-Reddat , Julien Haurant , Eric Forterre , Hakim Romatif , John P. Arnold , Marilyne Even

Gallic director François Ozon's idiosyncratic Ricky represents an attempt to weld together two polar-opposite and seemingly incompatible genres: kitchen-sink realistic drama and high-concept Spielberg... read more read more...ian fantasy. Loosely inspired by a Rose Tremain short story, the tale opens on a council estate just east of Paris (in the Seine-et-Marne), where single mom Katie (Alexandra Lamy) ekes out a low-key and fairly miserable existence. She earns her keep as a factory worker while glumly attempting to raise her seven-year-old daughter, Lisa (Mélusine Mayance), on the side. Circumstances shift dramatically when Katie falls into an affair with a Spanish colleague, Paco (Sergi López), but no one can guess just how dramatically. Together they conceive a son whom they name Ricky, who has a physiological quirk that makes him a freak of nature, draws a considerable amount of attention from the press, and creates all kinds of impracticalities for the parents. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Flixster Users

35% liked it

859 ratings

Critics

60% liked it

15 critics

PG, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: François Ozon

Release Date: December 16, 2009

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DVD Release Date: April 12, 2011

Stats: 113 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (113)

  • flixsterman
    February 28, 2012
    flixsterman
    This could have easily turned into something cute and frivolous but Ozon has a way of turning a story inside out. Instead, Ricky is an angelic metaphor, an uplifting tragedy about coming to terms with devastating loss. An odd but lovable film.
  • 366weirdmovies
    June 5, 2011
    366weirdmovies
    A single mom factory worker gives birth to a very special baby; of course, every mother thinks her baby is miraculous, but in this case the press thinks so, too. Magical realism that never really gets off the ground; it starts as a dour domestic drama then tries to shift gears a... read morend turn into a whimsical comedy. A good idea with a good heart, and beautifully acted, but unexpectedly dull in the execution.
  • gator681
    November 14, 2009
    gator681
    "Ricky" starts with Katie(Alexandra Lamy), a single mother, in tearful anguish, wanting to give up one of her children to foster care because he cries too much. Oh, if only that's all it was...

    There was a time when it was just Katie and her 7-year old daughter Lisa(Melusine ... read moreMayance). At the factory where she works, Katie meets Paco(Sergi Lopez), a handsome new worker from Spain, and before you know it, they have a lunchtime quickie. Things between them turn more romantic after that, with Paco moving into Katie's small apartment with thin walls and they end up having a baby together.

    While a deliriously loopy movie on the one hand with a particularly ambiguous ending, "Ricky" also serves a warning to beware of conceiving children around dangerous chemicals.(You see this kind of thing happening in comic books all of the time. Or would you prefer the spiritual approach?) Surprisingly what writer-director Francois Ozon gets right is the dynamic of a working class family, not hestitating to tell the story from Lisa's point of view on occasion as her close relationship with her mother is complicated by the entrance of a stranger into their close knit lives. This is followed by the relationship between Katie and Paco being thrown into turmoil by a new baby who receives the lion's share of attention due to the inordinate amount of his crying. On the other hand, there is one key moment when Katie does not behave like any mother I know in an act contrived only to move the plot forwards.

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Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert
May 13, 2010
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The story begins in gritty realism, ends in pure fantasy and leaves out most of the alphabet as it makes its way from A to Z. Full Review

Melissa Anderson
December 15, 2009
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice

What Ricky lacks is a more thorough, consistent examination of maternal bonds. Full Review

Boyd van Hoeij
June 8, 2009
Boyd van Hoeij, Variety

Because Ozon doesn't develop his characters once Ricky shows his true nature, the movie's slightly overcooked working-class realism quickly morphs into a grotesque story of a mutant baby. The film's t... Full Review

Pablo Villaca
March 25, 2011
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

Acaba encontrando uma inesperada estratégia narrativa para mover seus personagens. Full Review

Andrew L. Urban
February 21, 2010
Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile

It's not a total success in delivering heartfelt movie satisfaction, but Ozon makes the film with absolute confidence Full Review

Louise Keller
February 21, 2010
Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile

While there may be some sensational elements about this tale from François Ozon, it is essentially an engrossing love story with a twist Full Review

Norm Schrager
December 28, 2009
Norm Schrager, Filmcritic.com

a symbol-filled observation on, well, just about everything. Full Review

Armond White
December 22, 2009
Armond White, New York Press

In Ozon's distinctively eccentric style, Ricky applies modern skepticism to the prospect of parthenogenesis (based on an American short story by Rose Tremain), then deepens the concept. Full Review

Avi Offer
December 20, 2009
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru

Refreshingly unpredictable, imaginative, funny and provocative, but it eventually becomes a bit uneven, awkward and lacks emotional resonance. Full Review

Marcy Dermansky
December 18, 2009
Marcy Dermansky, About.com

Ozon's Ricky contains moments of real grit, but also contains a dose of otherworldly magic that only movies can provide. Full Review

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