Alors voilà (1997) - film review

Each week, the patriarchal grandfather Constantin insists that his three sons bring their families to his home for a meal.  Invariably, the experience proves to be a nightmare for all concerned, but the ritual is undertaken each week without fail.  Although the three sons don’t really get on, they agree to pool their resources to buy a lorry.  Meanwhile, the seemingly benign Constantin helps to indoctrinate his grandchildren in his shady exploits.

After a career as an actor which spanned three decades and around 150 films, Michel Piccoli finally decided to take his place in the director’s chair.  His first full-length film, Alors voilà, is intended as a wry yet realist portrait of a typical dysfunctional French family.  Unfortunately, Piccoli’s skill as a director in no way matches his talent as an actor, and this really does feel like a first film from a dilettante filmmaker.  For a number of reasons, the film has difficulty engaging the spectator’s attention – there doesn’t seem to be any driving narrative thrust, the characters are unconvincing stereotypes, the direction feels lazy and a tad complacent.  The fact that none of the characters in the film is remotely sympathetic hardly helps, but it is really the lack of any sense that the film is going anywhere which is most off-putting.

© James Travers 2006

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