Living in France is so incredible that it makes you feel like you’ve just won the Lottery. After all, is there anything more luxurious than taking a stroll to buy freshly-baked brioche from your local boulangerie?
This association isn’t too far-fetched in reality. French history has been changed dramatically due to the lottery – it even created Voltaire’s fortune. And its impact continues to the present-day through France’s lottery-funded projects. Even non-French lottery fans from all over the world get into the French lottery action through sites like theLotter, adding to French lottery’s prestige. It’s no surprise then that France and luck have paired up in cinema for over eight decades. If you’re feeling lucky – and want to practice your French listening skills – here are three excellent options for your next movie night.

Le Million (The Million) – 1931 Nearly thirty years after George Méliès released his silent masterpiece Le Voyage dans la Lun (Trip to the Moon), French cinema glided elegantly into the era of sound film. One of the country’s first talkie gems was René Clair’s Le Million. Like so many of the first sound films, Le Million is a musical comedy. The plot surrounds Michel, a struggling artist who is being suffocated by debt. His luck changes when he wins the lottery, but of course, the story doesn’t end there. Michel leaves the winning ticket in the pocket of an old jacket, which his fiancée gives away before he can claim his prize. The two of them go on a wild chase through the city, encountering dazzling song numbers along the way.

Les Tuches (The Tuches) – 2011 Much had changed in France eighty years after Le Million was made, but Les Tuches’ 2011 release showed that the fascination with lottery winners remained the same. Definitely not as glamourous as Le Million, Les Tuches still manages some charm as a modern-day rags to riches comedy. Follow this zany, messed up family as they win €100 million and travel through France on their way to Monaco. The family is large, the jackpot is larger – the only question that remains is how large are the laughs?

La Liste de mes Envies (The List of My Desires) – 2014 Jocelyne and Jocelyn seem to be a match made in heaven, from their matching names to their perfect family life in northern France. Jocelyne is a wife, mother, and blogger, while her husband Jocelyn is a worker at an ice cream factory. Now that their children are all grown up, Jocelyne has more time to daydream about how different life could be. Her friends convince Jocelyne to buy a EuroMillions ticket – how will fortune change her life? La Liste de mes Envies is based on the best-selling novel by Grégoire Delacourt and has won a place in moviegoers’ hearts.

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