Little Nicholas

Children, get into place.

You in the back...

In the back, stand up straight!

Get ready for the photo.

Children, please calm down!

Children!

The row in the back, stop moving.

Stand still!

You two over there...

Our teacher gave us

a funny assignment the other day:

"Tell me what you want to be

"when you grow up."

Nicholas, it can't be that hard.

Yes it can, if you don't know

what you want to be.

The other kids, they all know.

Alceste, for example,

he wants to be a minister.

Alceste is my best friend,

a fat boy who's always eating.

That's ham hock.

That's pork loin.

Those are pork chops.

That's pig's snout.

It doesn't look good, but it is.

The reason he wants

to be a minister

is because

they have lots of banquets.

At our house for Christmas,

we're having Granny, Aunt Dorothy

and Uncle Eugene.

At our place, we're having sausage,

turkey and chestnuts.

Later on, Geoffroy will work

with his father.

Hello?

One moment, please.

Yes, hello?

Geoffroy lives in a big house

with a big garden.

He even has a kidney-shaped pool.

Geoffroy's dad is very rich

and buys him anything he wants.

What Geoffroy likes best of all

is dressing up.

Since Geoffroy's dad works a lot,

it's Albert, the butler,

who watches him.

That's Clotaire.

He has a terrific bike.

It's a race bike.

Then why's it got a rack?

I told you, it's a race rack.

Clotaire's dream

is to be a champion cyclist.

Louis XVl was taken

to the scaffold.

Clotaire!

What did I just say?

Clotaire is bottom of the class.

A scaffold?

What's a scaffold for?

For making buildings?

Go to the corner.

He's always getting punished

or deprived of something.

When he gets his report card,

he's deprived of TV and dessert.

When the principal scolds him,

he says:

Your parents deprive themselves

to give you an education!

Of course, getting report cards

is no fun for anyone.

Nicholas...

"Undisciplined. Easily distracted.

"Could do better."

Eudes is the only one

who isn't afraid.

Eudes! "Quarrelsome and aggressive,

"in class and at playtime.

"Fair grades

"in singing."

My father never says a thing.

You know why?

I look him straight in the eye.

Then he signs it and that's that.

What kind of grades are these?

T o bed with no dessert!

I guess he must not have

looked straight enough.

Eudes says he wants to be a bandit.

I want to be a bandit.

Bandit! That's not a profession.

Yes, it is!

If there weren't any bandits,

your father wouldn't have a job

and you'd live in a shack.

Say that again?

You heard me:
a rotten shack.

Rufus wants to be a policeman,

like his father.

But talk about goofing up,

he's the champ.

Hey guys, I'll imitate a monster.

Guess who it is?

Frankenstein!

-The Mummy!

Belphegor!

-Dracula!

The bogeyman!

My Aunt Germaine!

No! It's Old Spuds!

Old Spuds is our supervisor.

He's always saying:

Look me in the eye.

And potatoes have eyes too.

I didn't get it at first either.

The older boys explained it to me.

O ld Spuds likes to make us

write sentences.

my supervisors by making

"grotesque imitations

which are totally unrealistic."

Agnan is the only one

that'll never happen to.

Agnan is top of the class

and teacher's pet, but above all

he's a dirty rat.

Teacher! Teacher!

They're talking.

We don't like him much,

but we can't hit him,

he's got glasses.

You can't hit me, I've got glasses.

No one knows what Agnan

wants to be when he grows up.

Teacher! He's copying.

When Dad was my age,

there were plenty of things

he wanted to be.

He says that if he hadn't married Mom,

he would've been

a soccer champion...

a swimming champion...

Gentleman, on your marks,

get set...

And even...

A cycling champion.

World champion

of mythomania is more like it.

That's Mr. Bledurt.

Who asked you, Mister Busybody?

Go eavesdrop elsewhere.

The whole neighborhood

can hear you, loudmouth.

Watch it...

-What?

You don't scare me.

He and Dad tease each other.

Don't touch me, Ok?

What kind of sport is mythomania?

Go home!

And then there's Mom...

Mom! Mom!

One thing's for sure,

Mom always wanted to be a mom.

And I wouldn't want her

to be anything else.

You scared me.

I know why I don't know

what I want to be when I grow up.

It's because my life is swell

and I don't ever want it to change.

Nicholas

Based on the books

by Goscinny & Sempe

Who knows the story

of Little Tom Thumb?

Eudes?

He's little?

Yes. What else?

Rufus?

He's little, so he steals things

and runs away.

Not exactly.

Alceste?

He refuses to eat well,

so he's all skinny.

Not quite.

Nicholas?

O k, go ahead, Agnan.

Little Tom Thumb

was called Tom Thumb because

he was as little as a thumb.

He was the youngest child

of a poor family

who had no food for their children,

so the parents decided

to abandon them in the forest.

Luckily, Little...

Congratulations, Joachim.

Pass the word:

Joachim has a little brother.

Silence!

Clotaire,

what are you doing?

Come on, tell us!

I was fast asleep.

Dad came in and woke me up.

He was dressed and unshaved,

and he started to laugh.

He said I'd had a little brother.

And then?

He took me to see my mother.

She was at the hospital,

but she looked as happy as Dad.

And next to her,

was my little brother.

You sure don't look happy.

Why would I be?

He's always screaming,

but if I raise my voice

they tell me to hush and Dad says

I'm giving him a headache.

If I get anywhere near the cradle,

they tell me to scram.

How big is a baby?

About this high.

Then put your toys that high.

They'll make you

share your room with him.

No way, it's my room!

It's mine!

Put him in the garden.

We don't have a garden.

Then build one.

How about the garage?

Our dog sleeps there.

I wanted a bicycle, not a brother.

He'll steal your candy

and you won't be able to complain.

'Cause if you complain,

they say you're jealous and punish you.

Maybe you'll end up in the garage.

You're in trouble.

You didn't have any idea?

No. But it's true,

Dad was acting strange lately.

Like what?

Well, like he was real nice

to my mother.

For example,

he'd carry the groceries home.

He'd say, "Darling,

I don't want you getting tired."

One day, he even took the trash out

without moaning. That's unusual.

Mom?

-Yes, sweetheart?

How do you make babies?

Oh look, your father's home!

Surprise!

"For Nicholas, whose father

works so hard. Roger Moucheboume."

Mr. Moucheboume is Dad's boss.

Did you get the note

I left with your secretary?

What note?

-About my raise and promotion...

We'd talked about it.

We'll see about that later.

I have a little favor to ask you...

Mom and Dad argue a lot about him.

He's taking advantage of you.

Fine, then I'll just walk out.

Nicholas, pack up,

we're moving to a trailer.

Swell, I'll get my suitcase.

I have to admit,

Mom and Dad argue a lot.

Why didn't you have it delivered?

It cost more.

Look, where does it go?

But I thought you got a raise.

I haven't got a raise yet.

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