Is Gilles Lellouche’s “L’Amour Ouf” a Musical? Find Out Now!

Is there any element of musical theater in L’Amour ouf? Let’s clear this up right away: the answer is no! The film is quite extensive, running over 2 hours and 30 minutes, and it uniquely combines genres that you don’t often see together in one film, specifically, a profound love story and a gangster film, featuring scenes that can be quite violent (the film is rated “General audience with warnings. Some violent scenes may be disturbing to younger viewers”).

During the film’s promotional events, Gilles Lellouche directly addressed the question of whether it could be a musical: “It never was. It’s a romantic, musical, and violent comedy, but not a musical comedy. Yes, there are subtleties in life!” he added with a smile.

A Lengthy Tribute to West Side Story Removed from the Final Cut

So, why does the notion persist in some minds that the film is a musical? This stems from an interview with the film crew on the very last day of shooting, when film editing was just beginning (editing started concurrently with the filming).

L’Amour ouf had only two media outlets covering its production: the magazine Première, and a team from France 2, for the cinema show Beau Geste. In an interview for this show, Gilles Lellouche mentioned that the film would be “a mix of genres, including musical comedy. It’s a teen movie, it’s a love film…” The show also mentioned several references: Scorsese, Tarantino, and West Side Story.

Speaking to Première last December, Gilles Lellouche mentioned that “the film would be very musical“, which is accurate as it features numerous tracks from the 80s and 90s.

Asked about the topic at the Cannes Festival press conference last May, Gilles Lellouche explained that “it would have been too much” to also make it a musical comedy. “There’s already quite a lot going on! In fact, I wasn’t really keen on a musical per se, as it would add another layer of fiction, another cinematic overlay.” He added, “And I’ve always found it a bit odd when actors sing. It’s weird, but that’s how it is! It’s not a genre that particularly appeals to me. I like dance, I like music, but not really a fan of musicals.”

While the film was never truly a musical, it should be noted that some scenes were cut from the final edit. Specifically, a tribute scene to musicals, reminiscent of the cinema of Jacques Demy (in its color palette) or West Side Story, was removed. This was the original ending scene, which has completely disappeared from the version now showing in theaters. The first ending was a lengthy dance scene, choreographed by (La) Horde. Adèle Exarchopoulos and François Civil were featured, along with young actors Mallory Wanecque and Malik Frikah. It’s likely that this deleted scene will be available on the film’s DVD/Blu-ray.

Now, the only dance scene left in the film takes place in a gym with a dynamic light chase, featuring the young characters Jackie and Clotaire, set to the song A Forest by The Cure.

L’amour ouf is currently showing in theaters.