Same Old Song (French: On connaît la chanson) is a 1997 French comedy drama film. It was directed by Alain Resnais and it stars Agnès Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Sabine Azéma, Lambert Wilson, André Dussollier and Pierre Arditi. Jaoui and Bacri wrote the script.
Camille (Jaoui) prepares a thesis in history. She also works as a tourist guide in Paris. She meets Nicolas (Bacri), an old friend of her sister Odile (Azema), by chance. He has just come back to Paris after having spent several years in England. Odile and her husband Claude (Arditi) invites Nicolas to dinner. Nicolas explains that his wife and children are still in England. They should arrive later, when he has found a flat. Odile is also looking for a new flat and she engages the services of Marc Duveyrier (Wilson), an estate agent. She plans to visit a flat with her sister Camille. So, Camille meets Marc and falls for him. Besides, she ignores the feelings of Simon (Dussolier), an amateur historian who also works for Marc.
Same Old Song provides examples of:
- All Part of the Show: When Camille faints during a guided tour (just after talking about the death of a historical figure), the tourists think that she is acting.
- Animal Motifs: During the climax, images of jellyfish and octopusses appear between the scenes to symbolize the ill-being of the characters.
- The Casanova: Marc Duveyrier tries and picks up many women, for example during the housewarming party.
- Commonality Connection: Camille and Nicolas dislike each other, until Nicolas realizes that they both suffer from depression. He immediately sympathizes with her.
- Dude, She's Like in a Coma: After Camille faints during a guided tour, Simon kisses her on the lips. She immediately comes round, but she has not noticed the kiss.
- Ensemble Cast: There is no protagonist. There are 6 main characters (Camille, Nicolas, Odile, Marc, Simon and Claude).
- Fake-Out Opening: The first scene shows Dietrich von Choltitz, a German general, being ordered by Adolf Hitler to destroy Paris during World War II. This is actually a historical fact that Camille tells during her guided tour.
- Hallucinations: When she goes to the toilet in the restaurant, Camille feels bad and she suddenly sees the yeomen of Paladru Lake, then Odile and Marc offering her giant sugar cubes.
- Hypochondria: Nicolas thinks that he is sick and he consults several doctors who tell him that he is fine. Subverted in the end: he realizes that he suffers from depression.
- Imagine Spot: There is a brief scene where Simon imagines that he is a member of the French Republican Guard parading on horseback across Paris.
- Jukebox Musical: The film uses some of the most famous French songs. The actors do not really sing: the original recordings are used and the actors lip-sync to the songs.
- Mean Boss: Marc Duveyrier constantly criticizes Simon because he does not respect the schedules. He also tells everybody an unfunny joke about Simon.
- Mistaken for Cheating: Odile sees Nicolas walking in the street with a blonde woman, and she assumes that she is his mistress. Actually, she is just a client of Nicolas. Odile does not know that Nicolas is a chauffeur.
- Most Writers Are Writers: One of the main characters, Simon, writes plays for the radio.
- Oblivious to Love: Simon is in love with Camille. This is why he takes her guided tours so often. Camille ignores his feelings and considers him as a friend.
- One Degree of Separation:
- Camille knew Nicolas before he went to England. She is Odile's sister. She falls in love with Marc. Simon takes her guided tour and she befriends him.
- Nicolas is an old friend of Odile and he also knows her sister Camille. He visits many flats with Simon and they become friends.
- Odile is Camille's sister and Nicolas's friend. She visits flats with Marc.
- Marc visits flats with Odile. He becomes Camille's boyfriend. He is Simon's boss.
- Simon is in love with Camille. He is Marc's employee. He visits flats with Nicolas.
- Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: Marc Duveyrier, the boss of a real estate office, tries and picks up Camille, who falls in love with him. Besides, Simon, Marc's employee, is in love with Camille. In the end, Camille realizes that Marc is a jerkass and she breaks up with him. It is implied that she finally chooses Simon.
- Shady Real Estate Agent: Marc Duveyrier. He sells Odile a flat with a magnificent view, but he does not tell her that the view might disappear soon because of a construction project.
- Waiting for a Break: Simon writes plays for the radio, but he also works as an estate agent, because he does not earn enough money with the plays.
- Wrong Guy First: Camille has two suitors: Simon and Marc. Marc is rich, young, handsome and seductive, while Simon is older, less affluent and awkward. Camille is first seduced by Marc and starts a relationship with him. During the housewarming party, she realizes that Marc is a jerkass (he claimed that he liked a modern sculpture just to seduce her and, more importantly, he hid some critical information about Odile's flat), so she breaks up with him. Simon comforts her and it is implied that they end up together.
