Le Pari
1997 Comedy
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Credits
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Summary
Didier and Bernard are two men who appear to have nothing in common, other than the fact
they are married to women who are sisters. Didier is a successful pharmacist with
middle class pretensions; Bernard is a down-at-heel teacher in a rough high school.
The one thing that does unite them is their love for tobacco. Their stepfather has
the same failing, and it is ruining his health. To encourage the latter to give
up his fatal addiction, Didier and Bernard agree to a bet - to give up cigarettes for
a fortnight. At first, both men are amazed by how easy it is to stop smoking.
However, within a few days, both Didier and Bernard are near breaking point, and so are
their marriages...
Review
Encouraged by the success of their first film,
Les Trois frères (1995), Didier Bourdon
and Bernard Campan tried their luck once more, this time without the third member of their
team (Les Inconnus), Pascal Légitimus. Le
Pari is the result, a quirky but not wholly satisfactory comedy in which Bourdon
and Campan are clearly having more fun than the spectator. The problem with the
film is that it quickly departs from its central premise and becomes a rather haphazard
comedy, lacking any clear narrative sense. Admittedly, some of the comic situations
work well, but the confused plot and drawn out ending are flaws which are hard to overlook.
© James Travers 2006 Write a review for this film... |
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