An executive, very successful in his professional life but very unable in his familiar life, meets a boy with down syndrome, escaped from a residence . Both characters feel very alone, and the apparently less intelligent one will show to the executive the beauty of the small things in life... With this argument, the somehow Amelie-like atmosphere and the sentimental music, I didn't expect but a moralistic disgusting movie. Anyway, as there were some interesting scenes (the boy is sometimes quite a violent guy), and the interpretation of both actors, Daniel Auteil and Pasqal Duquenne, was very good, I decided to go on watching the movie. The French cinema, in general, has the ability of showing something that seems quite much to life, opposed to the more stereotyped American cinema. But, because of that, it is much more disappointing to see after the absurd ending, with the impossible death of the boy, the charming tone, the happiness of the executive's family, the cheap moral, the unbearable laughter of the daughters, the guy waving from heaven as Michael Landon... Really nasty, in my humble opinion.

I saw this film first on my way home from Paris to Newark aboard Air France in August 1996. The film itself I believe is quite a masterpiece. It's the kind of film that people should be making. I still think Daniel Auteuil is one of the sexiest actors around. In this French film, he plays a divorced father and businessman who has lost his zest for life until he across a Down Syndrome man who lives in an institution with other Down Syndrome patients. The actors including the actor who actually has Down Syndrome create a believable friendship and relationship between these two unlikely men. Daniel's life and ours changes forever with the Down Syndrome man. He realizes that life is not just work and not play but for the living and loving and that's what life should be all about. The ending is kind of silly though but I still think it's one of my favorite movies. It's enough to bring a tear to your eye.

The Eighth Day is supposed to be a charming experience, but I found it to be largely irritating and dull.The film focuses around Harry, played by Daniel Auteuil, a salesman who's life is falling apart. Stuck in his daily routine, estranged from his wife and failing to be a father to his children. This, cut-and-paste character then meets Georges, a guy with Down's Syndrome who proceeds as we all know by now to help him turn his life around and get back to being a father to his kids.The problem is that we are given no insight as to why Harry puts up with Georges after the initial meeting. Harry's life is in a bad enough state as it is, it's completely implausible that he'd risk losing his job by taking time off to try and get Georges to his mother's house. The humour completely misses the mark, instead of showing us why Harry is putting up with this guy, we are treated to a series of irritating, unfunny skits in which Harry bears the brunt of Georges mishaps.The film reaches its peak when Georges remembers it's Harry's daughters birthday and along with other people from his home steal a bus, take Harry out of a conference, set off some fireworks, et viola! Harry is a good father again and now he can see the kids. For a film that is supposed to be grounded in realism (despite its poor attempt at a fantasy/reality message) this is completely implausible and unbelievable. Add to this the demise of Georges character, which I cannot fathom as to how people have been in tears at, as he is surely one of the most irritating characters ever created.The best thing about the film is it does have two great performances from its two leads, but these are not good enough for me to recommend that anyone sit through it. A lot of comments for this film has suggested its similarity and superiority to Rain Man, this is not so in my eyes, this is a watered down sub-standard effort with none of Rain Man's humour or warmth.

Though the plot elements to "The Eighth Day" seem like they have been done plenty of times, the film still has much of the spark, mystery, and symbolism that Jaco Van Dormal's first film had. Though not as good as "Toto the Hero", which will always remain on my favorites list, the movie still leaves us with lots of emotions. Daniel Auteil, from 2001's flavorless "The Closet" downplays his part, afraid to overact (rightfully so, the role could have easily been ruined if the actor was overly dramatic). However, I felt the part needed a bit more realism to it, focusing more on the character itself instead of simply the character's growth.Don't walk into this movie expecting the dark humor and unexpected twists that you got from "Toto the Hero" because you will be disappointed. However, the film still serves as a decent, if not flawed, movie