When Arlette is born, her mother leads Pierre, her young and wealthy lover, back from the front, to believe that he is the father. When Arlette reaches marriageable age, her real father, the eccentric Mérovée, goes bankrupt. Pierre then imagines a sham marriage with Arlette to save her from poverty. This is without taking into account the fact that Arlette is in love with Pierre and fully intends to consummate the marriage. Things become complicated with the intervention of Nadine, mistress of Pierre and Mérovée.

Delightful comedy , dealing even with a taboo subject: incest!"Théâtre de Boulevard "of the first order ; Jules Berry, everytime he appears ,blows everyone off the screen ;his funny faces -notably when he becomes a so called daddy -, his embarassment when he 's got to perform the conjugal duty are worth the price of admission ; the names are revealing : the two men's lover is called De Montespan (one of the Sun King 's numerous mistresses)and the true father Mérovée (ancestor of Clovis who was the first king of the Franks to unite all of the Franks under one ruler,(482- 511 AD)) Two papas for the price of one !How lucky Arlette is!

French-language cinema, whether in France, Québec, or other Francophone regions, explores cultural identity, social change, and the tension between the individual and society. French cinema is not only celebrated for its intellectual experimentation and auteur traditions, but also its success in mainstream comedy, romance, and commercial entertainment. In Québec, films often focus on questions of language, belonging, and community within a distinct cultural landscape.

Jean-Pierre Léaud in The 400 Blows (1959)

Jules Berry, Max Dearly, and Renée Saint-Cyr in Arlette et ses papas (1934)

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Arlette et ses papas

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