Les Rois mages (2001) - film review

The Three Wise Men – Balthazar, Melchior and Gaspard – are on their way to Bethlehem to pay homage to the infant Jesus when they are suddenly, an inexplicably, transported two thousand years into the future.  They find themselves walking the streets of Paris, where they encounter a young woman called Macha who, they are convinced, will lead them to the newborn Messiah.  Along the way, Melchior has befriended Jo, a delinquent drugs pusher, whilst Balthazar and Gaspard become acquainted with hamburgers and street gambling.  Malcha has enough problems of her own, but cannot get rid of the three strange men, who obviously look like they have just escaped from a lunatic asylum.  Her mother’s employer, Hoeder, see things differently.  He heads a multi-media empire and sees the huge marketing potential the Three Wise Men offer him…

Les Inconnus – the very popular ‘90s comedy trio comprising Didier Bourdon, Bernard Campan, Pascal Légitimus – are reunited here for the first time since 1995, when they starred in the box office hit Les Trois frères.  Although Les Rois mages has some great comedy, it is spread pretty thinly in comparison to Les Inconnu’s earlier film, and overall it is a great let down.  It’s hard to get away from the fact that the story relies on a plot device – an unexplained teleportation – which feels so lazy and hackneyed, the same trick having being employed to far greater effect in Les Visiteurs (1993), a film which Les Rois mages seems to closely imitate.  Without such silliness as this, and a few rather pointless O.T.T. special effects, this film could have had much greater appeal.  The three lead actors work together well and their inoffensive brand of comedy is very engaging, but their efforts are largely wasted in this horribly contrived and overly self-conscious film.

© James Travers 2006

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