Little Nicholas

In 1950s Paris, a young boy named Nicolas and his friends get into all sorts of mischief, both intentional and unintentional. Matters worsen when Nicolas, a single child, thinks his mother is pregnant and a baby brother is forthcoming. A friend of Nicolas's has a baby brother and thinks brotherhood is horrible. Thanks to his friend's ideas, Nicolas believes this means his parents do not love him anymore and will abandon him. He and his pals embark on several schemes to raise 500 francs to have the baby kidnapped and left in a jungle.[5]

Nicholas' class is having their photograph taken, but the teacher and the photographer struggle to control them. He recalls the teacher giving them an assignment to write about what they want to be when they grow up; they all start writing, but Nicholas is unsure.

He goes on to describe his group of friends: Alceste, Nicholas' gluttonous best friend, wants to be a minister; Geoffrey will work with his wealthy father in the future and his butler Albert often looks after him; Clotaire aspires to be a champion cyclist, but he is at the bottom of the class and is always punished and deprived of things; Eudes is quarrelsome and aggressive and wants to be a bandit; Rufus wants to be a policeman like his father, but he always makes a fool out of himself, such as when he gets detention for impersonating Old Spuds, the school's strict supervisor; Agnan is a top student and the teacher's pet, but is also a tattletale and refuses to share what he wants to be when he grows up. Although no one really likes him, they can't beat him up as he wears glasses. Nicholas' father tells his son that he would've been a football, swimming or cyclist champion had he not married his mother. Nicholas also has a loving relationship with his mother. Nicholas enjoys his life and he doesn't want it to change.

One day, the class is interrupted by the arrival of another student, Joachim, who just had a little brother and is unhappy about this. As Nicholas discusses the issue with Joachim, he explains that his father has been recently being unusually affective to his mother, helping her out with shopping and even taking out the trash without complaining. Nicholas asks his mother how babies are made, before the conversation is cut short by his father arriving home. He presents Nicholas with a spinning toy as a gift from his boss, Mr. Moucheboume. Nicholas' parents argue a lot about him as she thinks that he takes advantage of her husband. Nicholas' father instructs his son to write a letter of thanks to Moucheboume, to no avail, as he becomes agitated trying to find the right words and believes his boss will never promote him. His wife suggests that he invite the Moucheboumes over for dinner in order to make a good impression.

The next morning, Nicholas sees that his parents are in a good mood, causing him to suspect that they are expecting a baby. He informs his friends about this, but they also grow suspicious about Joachim's sudden absence from the school. Nicholas returns home and overhears his parents talking, making Nicholas think that the topic is related to the new baby's arrival. When his father suggests a weekend escapade to the woods, Nicholas thinks this is a ploy to abandon him for his baby brother. For the next few days, Nicholas becomes determined to please his mother in everything, even agreeing to attend a tea party with her friends, where he spends quality of time playing with a girl named Marie-Edwige and her girlfriends. Nonetheless, Nicholas' parents still take him to the woods as planned, and Nicholas locks himself inside the car, forcing them to push the car back home when they are unable to persuade him otherwise.

Back at the school, Nicholas' friends vow to protect him by forming a secret club. They try to clean up the house while Nicholas' parents are away. However, their attempt results in failure and the house becomes a mess, and Nicholas gets grounded for the night. Nicholas proposes getting rid of the baby, but their plan is overheard by Agnan, who blackmails them by threatening to tell on them unless they agree to support a performance number earlier suggested by the principal, who had announced that the Minister of Education would be visiting the school. Rather than getting rid of the baby, Nicholas and his friends decide to hire a gangster who can assist them in kidnapping the creature. Through a newspaper provided by Eudes, they learn that a gangster named Blind Jack is on the loose and Nicholas decides he is the one they are looking for. However, due to a misunderstanding, they call someone working in a garage who tells them that he will strip the "body" down for 500 francs.

After several mishaps, they manage to make money out of selling a "formula" with superhuman strength, earning 530 francs in the process. Nicholas once again contacts Blind Jack, who requests a car, so they steal Geoffrey's father's car by tricking Albert into stopping by at an ice scream shop. Just as they are about to proceed, Nicholas and his friends are surprised to see Joachim, who only got chickenpox, with his little brother. After Joachim expresses how good really is having a little brother, Nicholas has second thoughts and abandons the plan. Nicholas returns home, excited to have a little brother, but his parents are confused and tell him that they are not expecting a baby. Frustrated about this, Nicholas tells his parents how they do nothing to make him happy. That night at dinner, Nicholas' father makes some amusing faces to cheer him up, and he laughs alongside his parents. As time passes, Nicholas hears that his mother is expecting a baby, but he is disappointed and angry to learn that she gave birth to a baby girl. As Nicholas' other relatives visit and admire his new sister, he vents to them about having desired to have a little brother and that he should've asked for a puppy instead. In response, they all, including his parents, laugh at his outburst and he smiles. Nicholas later remembers the teacher's previous assignment, to which he realizes that he wants to make people laugh. The boys finally sit still and the photograph is taken.

• Maxime Godart as Little Nicolas
• Valérie Lemercier as Nicolas' mother
• Kad Merad as Nicolas' father
• Sandrine Kiberlain as the teacher
• François-Xavier Demaison as Mr. Dubon
• Daniel Prévost as M. Moucheboume, Nicolas' father's boss
• Michel Galabru as The Education Minister (1922-†2016)
• Anémone as Mademoiselle Navarin (1950-†2019)
• François Damiens as Blédur
• Serge Riaboukine as Francis Leborgne
• Victor Carles as Clotaire, the worst student in class
• Damien Ferdel as Agnan, the hypocrite and best student in class
• Vincent Claude as Alceste, the glutton
• Charles Vaillant as Geoffrey, the richest student in class
• Benjamin Averty as Eudes, the fighter (1998-†2018)
• Germain Petit Damico as Rufus, the son of policeman
• Virgile Tirard as Joachim
• Françoise Bertin as The old lady (1925-†2014)
• Michel Duchaussoy as the headmaster (1938-†2012)

The score for Le Petit Nicolas was composed by Klaus Badelt and performed by Geert Chatrou, Dirk Brossé, and Loïc Pontieux.[12] It was released on 28 September 2009 by EmArcy Records.[13][14] Renan Luce's second single "On n’est pas à une bêtise près" ("Was not a mistake near") from his 2009 album Clan miros appears in the end credits of the film, but it is not part of the album. The song was later released by Luce in October 2009.[15][16] The album received positive response on its release. Movienthusiast gave the album a positive review and awarded it three out of five stars, saying, "[The] music of this film is able to fill a variety of themes, [and] scenes usually pose a ticklish feeling in the audience themselves." In the soundtrack, Badelt uses "intelligent sound", combining bass drums, violin, harmonica, triangle, and even whistle. "Overall," said Movienthusiast, "every scene is filled by a variety of sounds from various instruments, giving them extra charm."[17]

Track listing

In August 2013, it was confirmed that the film sequel, Nicholas on Holiday (Les Vacances du Petit Nicolas), would be released on 9 July 2014.[30] Valérie Lemercier and Kad Merad reprised their roles in the sequel, with the character of Nicolas played by newcomer Mathéo Boisselier.[31]

• Le petit Nicolas, series of French children's books.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Le Petit Nicolas (film).

Wikiquote has quotations related to Le Petit Nicolas (film).

• (in French) Official website
• Little Nicholas at IMDb