Cabaret Paradis (2006)

Cabaret Paradis is a French film comedy first released in 2006, directed by Corinne Benizio and Gilles Benizio.  The film stars Corinne Benizio, Gilles Benizio, Michel Vuillermoz, Christian Hecq and Riton Liebman.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


Travelling performers Shirley and Dino cannot get to Paris fast enough when they learn they have inherited a cabaret nightclub in Pigalle.  What they see isn’t quite what they had expected – a rundown building and a lacklustre show performed by untalented has-beens.  Worse, Manu, the owner of a neighbouring casino claims that he won the nightclub from their gambling-addicted uncle.  Shirley and Dino are not prepared to let these obstacles deter them and so they put everything they have into making the nightclub a success.  Unfortunately, Manu is equally determined to get his hands on the nightclub…

Popular cabaret act Corinne and Gilles Benizio, a.k.a. Shirley and Dino, make their cinematic debut in a film that looks destined to be a cult classic.  The duo’s brand of comedy – a self-deprecating homage-cum-send-up of Musical Hall acts of the 1950s – proved to be enormously successful in France, where they appear regularly on television variety shows.  The same comedy works surprisingly well on the big screen, and it certainly makes a refreshingly clean alternative to the current, increasingly tedious, trend for vulgarity.   Whilst admittedly there’s not a great deal plot-wise, Cabaret Paradis is one of those eccentric oddities that has universal appeal – stylish, in a kitsch 1960s kind of way, and tirelessly funny.  The film relies heavily on the talent and charisma of its two leads – who also wrote and directed the film – but, when you’ve seen Shirley and Dino in action, that’s no bad thing.  A wonderfully diverting piece of fun.

© James Travers 2006

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