Bon plan (2000) - film review

One summer, Five French students decide to hike their way across Europe, the aim being to visit 15 great cities without falling out.  Their plans soon start to go awry at their first destination, Amsterdam.  Here, they run into a former schoolteacher, Wagner, who, having come out of the closet, begins to show an amorous interest in the most sensitive member of the ensemble, Lionel.   Bruno, the self-elected leader of the group, steers them to their next destination, Bologna, where the friends gets invited to a rave party, again with unpleasant results.  When Bruno is ditched by his girlfriend, the girls head for Greece, to stay with a stranger named Knut – who proves to be stranger (and a bigger Knut) than they had imagined.   Convinced the girls are in danger, Bruno and Lionel hurry to their rescue, but discover they have no money for the trip…

Jérôme Lévy’s first full-length film as a director is this spirited but largely predictable youth-comedy road-movie.  With her exuberant personality, Ludivine Sagnier outshines all her fellow actors (including Roland Giraud and Thierry Lhermitte), and her presence is the main reason for watching the film.  Whilst there are a few very funny comic situations, the film rarely departs from the familiar stereotypes and is hampered by a plodding script laden with clichéd dialogue.  It’s all well-intended fun and does succeed in getting a few decent laughs, but it does look a bit like a lost relic from an earlier decade.

© James Travers 2005

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