evening1 At only eight minutes in length, this seemed overly long by half, and repetitious, but it ends on a somewhat pleasant, if hackneyed, note.A conservative man who apparently cannot admit he forgot his wallet at home tries to save face by ordering one coffee after another as a hunchbacked waiter and various other eccentrics come and go at the cafe.An annoying sort of elderly Jesus figure traipses in and out and you wonder who he is and finally you see that he's a benefactor who shows up just in the nick of time to help the mortified espresso drinker out of his jam.The best part of the film is the very French vocal track that jauntily accompanies the final credits.

MartinHafer This is the third straight year that I have gone to the local theater to view the Oscar-nominated animated shorts. And, like the past two years, I am going to make my predictions about the winner in this category. I would say, however, my record isn't great when it comes to the animated films--I seem to be better at picking the live action shorts instead. However, I don't think I'm stepping out on a limb at all to say that it's highly unlikely FRENCH ROAST will take the top prize. This isn't to say that it's a bad film--it isn't bad at all and I definitely enjoyed it. It's just that there were a few that really stood out much more and seemed to be THE films to beat--in particular, THE LADY AND THE REAPER and LOGORAMA.I seemed to enjoy this film more than my daughter (who I took with me to see them). She said it was "easy to forget" but I appreciated much of it. The CG animation was very nice as was the character design.As for the story, though slight, it made me laugh and was enjoyable from start to finish. It starts by showing a very dirty hobo walking the streets with a cloud of bugs following him. Inside the nearby café, a snooty looking guy pretends not to see the man when he then enters the café to beg for money. What happens next is pretty funny and I won't say any more--it would spoil the film.Well worth seeing and very well made.

Gordon-11 This Oscar nominated short animation is about a businessman who goes into a café for a cup of coffee. He finds out he doesn't have his wallet when he is about to pay. he has to find ways to come up with money to foot the bill."French Roast" is simple, yet well made. The quality of the animation is good, with well designed backgrounds and humorously designed characters. The story nicely captures the psychology of everyday life, about how people react to beggars and about how good people feel about doing bad. The ending twist is also comical, and yet illustrates how a random act of kindness can make a difference to another person. I enjoyed watching "French Roast".

elsinefilo French Roast is an 8 minute cinematic tour-de-force which you would find original and genuinely spontaneous. In a posh French café an upper crust businessman who looks nervous and easily annoyed enjoys his coffee while he reads his newspaper. When he happens to be accosted by a beggar at his table he just pretends he has not even seen him. The beggar with his disheveled hair attracting flies all around,tattered clothes and his fairly versatile stick does not mind him at all. The moment the beggar leaves the café the businessman notices that he has not his wallet with him so he just bides more time by ordering more coffees. On the next frame we see a fat police detective put up a wanted notice (avis de recherche)on the wall of the café. The businessman who gets more and more uptight as the minutes go by realizes the woman next to his table. When the beggar comes to the café the second time, the old and sleepy woman gives him a banknote out of a thick roll of money. When she goes to the bathroom she leaves her bag behind. The nervous businessman tries to pilfer some petty cash from her bag only to find a mask just like the one depicted on the wanted notice. When the tipsy detective misfires his gun,the beggar trips revealing all the money in his pockets while the old lady gets back from the bathroom and leaves the café as if nothing has happened there. The businessman is still saved by a banknote left by the cunning beggar. French Roast is indeed one of the best short animations with this plot. It has the requisite twists and turns of a short animation. It's funny entertaining and exquisite.The animation is cool, quality and genuine.It's an absolute must-see and it deserves the Academy Award nomination!