Il était une fois à Monaco

Mehdi shares a cramped apartment with his mother on the outskirts of Paris, eking out a living by playing poker online. A sudden streak of luck changes things, nudging him toward a daring plan: head to Monte Carlo and gamble with real money. What begins as a thrill ride soon raises the stakes, pulling him away from his ordinary life and toward a world of luxury, risk, and possibility. Along the way he meets Elena, a woman whose presence challenges his assumptions and adds a human dimension to his pursuit. The film follows an impulsive decision powered by hope, attraction, and the pull of a glittering city by the sea, where every hand counts. Monaco rises as a testing backdrop.

Directed by Frédéric Forestier, Il était une fois à Monaco is a French romance produced as a TV movie. The screenplay comes from Julia Kuperberg, Gilles Paquet-Brenner, and Clara Kuperberg, with Rayane Bensetti and Anne Serra leading cast on screen.

Box office figures are not publicly disclosed for this television feature, which was produced for a TV audience rather than a theatrical run. As a TV movie, it bypasses traditional box office reporting. The streaming audience remains the primary metric.

While Il etait une fois a Monaco is a modest TV movie, there are no widely reported nominations or wins associated with it. The film stands as a contemporary French romance that showcases strong performances by Rayane Bensetti and Anne Serra, supported by a recognizable supporting cast and ensemble work.

Reception to the film emphasizes its light warm tone and a brisk pace that suits a TV romance. Thematically it weighs risk against responsibility, sketches a boyish longing for a brighter life, and tests trust between Mehdi and Elena in a city where glamour hides pressure and choices that matter.