Les Gros bras (1964) - film review

On a flight from Rome to Paris, a pickpocket steals a diamond bracelet from the wealthy Madame Andromèze and slips it into the handbag of another passenger, Nicole, hoping to recover it later.  Nicole’s brother Jean and fiancé Philippe, directors of photo-novels, discover the bracelet and decide to return it to its rightful owner.  What they do not know is that the bracelet is a cheap imitation of a real diamond bracelet which Monsieur Andromèze has given to his mistress...

Ebullient performances from a likeable cast just about salvage this lacklustre, poorly directed comedy.  There are few good laughs and what jokes there are become tediously repetitive after a while.  The screenwriters deserve some kind of award for managing to stretch a threadbare and ludicrous plot about a missing bracelet to a full ninety minutes when it is apparent there’s barely enough material for a half hour sitcom.  Still, the film has one ace up its sleeve – Francis Blanche, a superlative French comedian who never fails to elicit a smile.

© James Travers 2008

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