Summary
On the day that his son fails his baccalaureate, Michel loses his
job. He has been employed at the same factory for twenty years
and now he has no job, no qualifications, no prospects. Michel
soon realises that the only way he is going to get another job is by
first passing his baccalaureate. So, he goes back to school, with
his friend Gérard, who is in the same position. Naturally,
Michel’s son is not at all pleased to find himself in the same class as
his dad...
Review
Renaud Bertrand’s brave stab at a social comedy would undoubtedly have
had much greater impact if it had focused on its central theme - a
middle-aged man’s struggle against unemployment - instead of attempting
to cobble together various half baked story ideas. This was
Bertrand’s first cinema film, and it shows. A great fan of Ken
Loach’s films, he had previously made several films of television,
which could explain why this feels painfully like standard TV fare
- a watchable but pretty vacuous comedy-drama.
Assuming you are not put off by the hideous theme song that companies the opening credits (and which is reprised several times during the film), you will probably soon grow tired of the abundance of clichés and plot digressions which weaken the central narrative and pretty well obliterate our sympathy for the main characters. Things take a turn for the frankly ridiculous when Bertrand starts to throw in some musical detours which serve no purpose other that to expose the film’s startling superficiality. This is a shame because the film’s basic premise clearly has some mileage and the performances (from a high calibre cast) are generally pretty respectable.
© James Travers 2010
Write a review for this film...
Assuming you are not put off by the hideous theme song that companies the opening credits (and which is reprised several times during the film), you will probably soon grow tired of the abundance of clichés and plot digressions which weaken the central narrative and pretty well obliterate our sympathy for the main characters. Things take a turn for the frankly ridiculous when Bertrand starts to throw in some musical detours which serve no purpose other that to expose the film’s startling superficiality. This is a shame because the film’s basic premise clearly has some mileage and the performances (from a high calibre cast) are generally pretty respectable.
© James Travers 2010
Write a review for this film...
User Comments
Useful links
- Best French films of 2011
- Best French films of the 2000s
- Best of the French New Wave
- Best of French film comedy
- The best 100 French films
- The most successful French films
- Great French filmmakers
Related links
- The best French comedy-dramas
- Other French films of the 2000s
- The best French films of the 2000s
- Other French comedy-dramas
- Biography and films of Renaud Bertrand
To buy this film
Check DVD and Blu-ray availability:
Credits
- Director: Renaud Bertrand
- Script: Marc Herpoux, Dominique Mérillon, Sébastien Thibaudeau
- Photo: Marc Koninckx
- Cast: Jacques Gamblin (Michel), Kad Merad (Gérard Mathieu), Anne Brochet (Claire Deschamps), Rufus (Edmond), Valérie Kaprisky (Laurence), Hélène Vincent (Jane), Edouard Collin (Philippe), Stéphanie Sokolinski (Lucie)
- Country: France
- Language: French
- Runtime: 105 min
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- Mon père, ce héros (1991)
- Le Quatrième morceau de la femme coupée en trois (2007)
- Le Renard et l’enfant (2007)
- Se souvenir des belles choses (2001)
- Toto le héros (1991)
- Trop belle pour toi (1989)
- La Vie est un long fleuve tranquille (1988)
- Zim and Co. (2005)
To buy Les Irréductibles:

Comedy / Drama






