Cabaret Paradis (2006) - film review

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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