Line #23 Film/HappinessIsInTheField


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/le_bonheur_est_dans_le_pre.jpg]]
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3	''Happiness Is in the Field'' (French: ''Le bonheur est dans le pré'') is a 1995 French comedy film directed by Étienne Chatiliez, starring Creator/MichelSerrault and Creator/EddyMitchell.
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5	Francis Bergeade (Serrault) is the general manager of a factory which manufactures toilet brushes and toilet seats. He is unhappy with his life: his employees are on strike, he undergoes a tax audit, his daughter wants to organize a very expensive wedding ceremony and his wife is very unpleasant with him. His best friend, Gérard Thulliez (Mitchell), tries to cheer him up and he takes him out for a meal, but Francis feels faint. During his recovery, Francis watches a TV show, where a woman and her two daughters call for finding back their disappeared husband and father. They show a photograph of him and he looks exactly like Francis.
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8	!!''Happiness Is in the Field'' provides examples of:
9	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Francis is a nice guy. His wife Nicole is very unpleasant with him. Gérard is very rude with her and he even rapes her. Nicole falls in love with him.
10	* {{Arcadia}}: Condom, Gers is a rural area where Francis learns to enjoy life.
11	* AwfulWeddedLife: Francis and Nicole. They cannot stand each other.
12	* BestFriend: Gérard is Francis's best friend.
13	* BlackComedyRape: Nicole is raped by Gérard and this is PlayedForLaughs.
14	* CallToAgriculture: Francis was the general manager of a factory, but he prefers to live a simple life in a farm with Dolorès and her daughters.
15	* TheCameo: Éric Cantona as Lionel, the boyfriend of one of Michel's daughters.
16	* ChekhovsGunman: The Thivarts' old neighbor. He only becomes important when Francis and Gérard guess that he knows what happened to Michel.
17	* CityMouse: Nicole is very uncomfortable when she tries to help to make foie gras with her suit on.
18	* TheCityVsTheCountry: Francis lives in a city, but he is unhappy with his life. He has the opportunity to move to the countryside, where he finds happiness.
19	* CriminalDoppelganger: [[spoiler:Michel Thivart is a criminal. He looks exactly like Francis Bergeade. Michel's daughters think that Francis is Michel.]]
20	* DeadPersonImpersonation: [[spoiler:Francis Bergeade impersonates Michel Thivart. In the end, Francis understands that Michel died in 1968.]]
21	* DisappearedDad: Michel, Zig and Puce's father, disappeared in 1968.
22	* EverybodyKnewAlready: When Francis confesses that he is not Michel Thivart, Dolorès tells him that she knew it all along.
23	* {{Fainting}}: Francis feels faint in the restaurant because he is exhausted.
24	* TheGhost: Michel Thivart. He plays an important role in the plot, but he never appears. [[spoiler:Actually, he is dead.]]
25	* HenpeckedHusband: Francis is dominated by his wife Nicole.
26	* HospitalHottie: Lison, the nurse who looks after Francis after he feels faint. Gérard has a crush on her and later he tells Francis that he has a date with her.
27	* IdenticalStranger: Michel Thivart and Francis Bergeade look exactly like each other. Michel's daughters think that Francis is Michel.
28	* IntimidatingRevenueService: One of Francis's problems is that he undergoes a tax audit, so he has no money any more (so he cannot afford the expenses of his daughter's wedding ceremony).
29	* IWillWaitForYou: Dolorès has waited for her husband's return since 1968. {{Subverted\|Trope}}: When Francis shows up and pretends to be Michel, she accepts him as her husband, [[spoiler:even if she knows he is not Michel]].
30	* LiteraryAllusionTitle: The title is taken from a poem by Paul Fort.
31	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The TV show ''Où es-tu ?'' and its host Charles are expies of the real-life show ''Perdu de vue'' and its host Jacques Pradel.
32	* PosthumousCharacter: [[spoiler:Michel Thivart. In the end, Francis understands that he died in 1968.]]
33	* RapePortrayedAsRedemption: Nicole, Francis's wife, is a total {{Jerkass}}. Gérard rapes her in his car (or at least he has violent sex with her). After this assault, she becomes a better person. She even falls in love with her aggressor.
34	* ReallyGetsAround: Zig, one of Michel's daughters, has many boyfriends. At some point, she even has two boyfriends at the same time.
35	* RedOniBlueOni: Gérard is the Red Oni (he is very enthusiastic, he enjoys life, he is vulgar...). Francis is the Blue Oni (he is calm, he is dominated by his wife and he does not dare to challenge her).
36	* TheReveal:
37	** [[spoiler:Michel Thivart is a criminal.]]
38	** [[spoiler:Michel Thivart died in 1968.]]
39	* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Francis is the sensitive guy and Gérard the manly man.
40	* ShoutOut:
41	** Michel's daughters are nicknamed Zig and Puce, like the characters of the comics series by Alain Saint-Ogan.
42	** The Thivarts watch ''Vibroboy'' by Jan Kounen on TV.
43	* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Dolorès and Nicole. Dolorès has no qualms about cutting up ducks to make foie gras. Nicole is very uncomfortable when she tries to help with her suit on.
44	* VomitIndiscretionShot: When Nicole vomits after trying to help in the foie gras workshop.

Context Film / HappinessIsInTheField