Laetitia Casta, Guillaume Canet (“Tell No One”) and a group of young’uns face down the German army in the upcoming WWII drama “War of the Buttons.” The Weinstein Company just released brand new trailer (above) for the film from Christophe Barratier, the director of the Oscar-nominated “The Chorus” (2004).
In Nazi-occupied France, two rival gangs of kids from neighboring villages wage a pretend war on one another while their own country is torn asunder by a real war right outside their doorstep. It’s based on a 1912 French novel by Louis Pergaud that has been adapted for the big screen several times before.
The trailer lays on the schmaltz pretty thick — from the canned “movie voice” to the overbearing score to the over-reliance on adorable French kids pretending to be adults — but such is often the way for foreign awards hopefuls once they reach U.S. shores and U.S. publicity departments (especially The Weinstein Company).
Former Victoria’s Secret model and sometimes-actress Casta proves she’s still got it, although she’s hot in a more matronly way now that n her ’90s modeling days.
Barratier did an excellent job of directing a group of kids in “The Chorus,” and although the backdrop is decidedly different, “Buttons” should feature similarly sharp performances.