by Olly RichardsHave you learned French to an intermediate level?
Féliciations! In other words, congratulations! Reaching an intermediate level in French is a great accomplishment. But it can also become a barrier.
Some learners manage to reach this level quite quickly but then have trouble making the breakthrough to advanced. This is a little paradoxical since when you reach intermediate, there is so much more material available to help you learn.
One of the best things you can do to help make the step up to an advanced level is to watch French movies or TV. But, it's sometimes tricky knowing where to find good French movies that aren't too hard.
That's why I've put together this guide to 8 of the best French movies to learn French for intermediate learners. These great French movies are not only entertaining but also accessible to you as a learner.
That means you won't get frustrated and want to switch off halfway through. At the same time, you'll also learn plenty of new words and expressions, as well as plenty of cultural nuances to impress your French friends with.
There's no better way to boost your French, your listening, and your ability to connect with French speakers than delving into the wonderful world of French cinema. So let's get started.
By the way, if you want to learn French through stories, not rules, my top recommendation for language learners is my Uncovered courses, which teach you through StoryLearning®. Click here to find out more and try out the method for free.
How To Find French Movies To Learn French
When looking for a film to watch in a foreign language, the best option is not necessarily the easiest one. Of course, you need to choose something that you'll understand.
But when you start watching films, you're stepping into the world of real French. This is no longer material made for language learners. And there will always be words, phrases, or even whole dialogues that you miss.
Instead, try to find movies in French that allow you to follow the storyline through the action and images as much as through the words. This will help you understand what the characters are saying and in turn, this will help improve your listening.
Above all, choose films you enjoy. Comedies where you can understand at least some of the jokes, or French action movies. The best French action movies that give you a few moments rest from the dialogues during chase or fight scenes are just as good as dialogue-heavy, intellectual films. Or probably even better.
One tip for you – don’t watch with English subtitles. If you do, you'll concentrate on reading the English and not hear the French. A good way to start is watching with French subtitles. When you feel really confident, try turning the subtitles off completely and see how much you understand.
8 Of The Best French Language Movies
Here are my top recommendations for eight famous French movies for intermediate learners.
#1 Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain
- English title: Amélie
- Year: 2001
- Starring: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Jamel Debbouze
The Story
Amélie tells the heart-warming story of a shy, naïve, and awkward young woman living in Paris. Amélie works in a café and spends her time observing the often-unhappy lives of the people she meets.
One day, she takes it upon herself to intervene. And the film follows her as she travels around the city trying to bring kindness to people in the small ways she can.
Why It’s Perfect For Intermediate Learners
This film is probably one of the best French movies ever, and most people will be familiar with it. You might already have seen it with subtitles. And being familiar with the story will make it easier to tackle in the original language.
Plus, the dialogues are relatively simple. There are few scenes where the speech is overly fast. And the storyline is easy to follow, even if you don’t understand everything being said – all of which make this a great point of entry into the world of learning French by watching movies.
The leading actress is Audrey Tautou, now one of French cinema’s most familiar faces. And the film also includes a minor role for Jamel Debbouze, a popular French-Moroccan comic who is a household name in France.
#2 Hors De Prix
- English title: Priceless
- Year: 2006
- Starring: Audrey Tautou, Gad Elmaleh
The Story
When a barman in an expensive hotel, Jean, falls for a customer, Irène, he finds himself pretending to be a wealthy patron himself in an effort to impress her.
Jean discovers that Irène is only interested in men with money and that she enjoys her opulent lifestyle thanks only to a millionaire sugar daddy.
After spending all his money on her and losing his job in the process, Jean is then forced to become a male version of Irène by latching on to a wealthy older woman.
Why It’s Perfect For Intermediate Learners
This film, set in France’s beautiful Côte d’Azur, has a plot that is simple to follow as well as dialogues that are not too difficult to understand.
As with many films that are good for learners, it's relatively easy to follow the outline of the story even if you don’t understand every line.
There are plenty of humorous scenes that are funny even for those without perfect mastery of French. And above all, the film is well-made and highly enjoyable to watch.
#3 Taxi
- English title: Taxi
- Year: 1998
- Starring: Samy Naceri, Marion Cotillard
The Story
Daniel is a pizza delivery man living in Marseilles who prides himself on his high-speed driving skills. He obtains his taxi licence and leaves his job to start a new career – driving a modified Peugeot capable of reaching extreme speeds.
However, one of his first customers turns out to be a policeman. And after racing at well above the speed limit, he finds himself faced with the choice of losing his licence or teaming up with the hated police to help stop a German gang of bank robbers.
Why It’s Perfect For French Intermediate Learners
This film is a cult classic in France. And it's quite likely to be referenced in conversation, especially if somebody is driving too fast. It's a bit like a French version of the Fast and Furious films.
It's easy to understand since there's quite a lot of action relative to the dialogues. But there's also plenty of humorous conversation too.
Intermediate learners might not understand all of the jokes first time around. But the film gives a good introduction to a lighter side of French culture.
The film features Marion Cotillard who later became famous internationally for playing Édith Piaf in La Môme (entitled La vie en rose for English language release).
#4 Astérix Et Obelix: Mission Cléopâtre
- English title: Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra
- Year: 2002
- Starring: Gérard Depardieu, Christian Clavier, Monica Bellucci, Jamel Debbouze
The Story
When Cleopatra wagers with Julius Caesar that she can construct a palace greater than Caesar’s palace in Rome, her stand-in architect, Numerobis, is given the impossible task of completing the challenge – on pain of death if he fails.
In a bid to save his own life, Numerobis travels to Gaul to enlist the help of Asterix and Obelix who return to Egypt to aid with the construction.
Why It’s Perfect For Intermediate French Learners
This fun film is one of the best French movies to learn French because it's easy enough to understand many of the jokes, making it a good introduction to French humour.
Asterix and Obelix are familiar to every child in France. And many of the gags in the film are running jokes. It's one of the most popular French movies of the last half-century, making it another important cultural reference.
It features an all-star cast headed by Gérard Depardieu, one of French cinema’s most recognisable actors. And also includes Monica Bellucci, an Italian actress who has appeared in a number of famous French films.
The architect Numerobis is played by Jamel Debbouze who also had a minor role in Amélie.
#5 Intouchables
- English title: Untouchable
- Year: 2011
- Starring: François Cluzet, Omar Sy
The Story
This film tells the story of the unlikely friendship between a white millionaire quadriplegic (Philippe) and a black former convict (Driss) when chance causes their paths to cross.
Why It’s Perfect For Intermediate Learners
This is a powerful film that proved to be extremely successful in France. It was the second biggest box office hit in France, behind only Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis (see number 7 below).
The story is moving and the dialogues are easy to follow. This film explores many current themes such as racial prejudice and the gap between rich and poor while offering an insightful look at life in Paris and France today.
#6 Le Dîner De Cons
- English title: The Dinner Game
- Year: 1998
- Starring: Jacques Villeret, Thierry Lhermitte
The Story
A successful Parisian businessman, Pierre Brochant, and a group of his friends amuse themselves by playing a game. They hold regular dinners, and each must find an “idiot” to bring along.
After the dinner, the group votes and the person who brought the most stupid idiot is the winner.
For the latest edition, Brochant has found the most perfect idiot yet. But after humiliating him at dinner, he becomes reliant upon him to help resolve major issues in his private life.
Why It’s Perfect For Intermediate Learners
This is one of the best French films to watch if you're an intermediate learner since it's both easy to understand and enjoyable to watch.
There's plenty of good dialogue to listen to that won’t be too difficult to understand. And the film gives some interesting insights, through humour, into modern French society.
Even if you don’t understand every word being said, you should still be able to follow the story and laugh at many of the jokes.
#7 Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis
- English title: Welcome to the Sticks
- Year: 2008
- Starring: Dany Boon, Kad Merad, Zoé Félix
The Story
A postal service manager feigns a disability in an attempt to be relocated to the Mediterranean south of France.
Instead, when his superiors discover the deception, he's sent to the far north of the country, a part of France considered to be right out in the “sticks”, hence the English title.
He finds himself in the cold and wet Nord-Pas-de-Calais region where the strange local dialect spoken by the locals (who are known in France as Ch’tis) is almost incomprehensible to him.
Why It’s Perfect For Intermediate Learners
This will be a challenge for anyone wanting to learn French with movies – much of the humour is based on wordplays related to the dialect spoken in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, the different pronunciation and the misunderstandings this leads to.
However, it's not impossible, and a good intermediate learner should be able to understand enough to enjoy the film.
It makes a good introduction to regional variation within France. And as one of the best French movies in recent years, being familiar with it is an essential part of your French cultural education.
#8 Contempt (Le Mépris)
- English title: Contempt
- Year: 1962
- Starring: Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, Jack Palance
The French are terribly proud of what we refer to as Le Septième Art (The Seventh Art form) and in particular of the Nouvelle Vague (the French New Wave: 1958 – late 60s), a film movement started by a group of young rebellious filmmakers who were fed up with the stiff way in which movies were made in France.
The group wanted to use the new, lighter filming equipment to experiment with form, and talk about current issues.
Contempt is one of the best-known New Wave movies and its director, Jean-Luc Godard, was one of the most daring filmmakers of the group. The opening credits are constructed in a very unique and experimental way, and Godard plays with an exciting new sound and visual editing tricks throughout the movie.
The haunting soundtrack by the composer Georges Delerue will follow you around, carrying the movie with all its melancholy in its trail.
The Story
Contempt is a sexy cocktail of gorgeous shots, landscapes, poetry and philosophy. It is the story of Camille and Paul Javal, a married couple, who go to Italy to shoot the screen adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey, which Paul has been asked to write a new script for. The film follows the unravelling of their relationship.
(You can get the stunning new remastered version here.)
Why It’s Perfect For Intermediate Learners
Philosophy is compulsory for French students taking the Baccalauréat, so you shouldn’t be surprised to get caught in a conversation about life and death sparked by a minor incident. Contempt is a fantastic illustration of the way French people think.
Observing this will allow you to have more natural conversations with people and understand what’s going on when things get all serious.
Actors overacting on set offer a great opportunity to perfect your diction. You can practise your elocution by repeating the lines between Paul and Camille in the argument scene. The dialogue, which takes place in their flat, is particularly well delivered.
At one point, Paul tells Camille that swearing doesn't suit her. To get back at him, she enunciates a list of swear words in typical Bardot style – slow, over-the-top and delightful!
There are little nuggets throughout the scene, such as, “Si tu m'aimes, tais-toi” (If you love me, shut up), to prepare you for a real-life situation.
Mimic the actors to your heart’s content and before you know it, your intonation will sound natural and convincing!
Watching French Movies: A Rich Cultural Tradition
Of course, France has a long, rich cinematic tradition, and these eight French language movies are just a start. Don’t limit yourself to just these but feel free to experiment.
At the beginning, you might not understand very much. But if you stick with it, you'll find you quickly begin to understand a lot more. And when you reach this stage, you will be on the cusp of stepping up to advanced level.
So, if you want to bridge the gap between intermediate and advanced sooner, get the popcorn out and start watching these eight French movies to learn French.
