Moi César, 10 ans 1/2, 1m39 (2003) - film review

César is a timid 10 year old boy with an over-active imagination which creates some friction with his parents.   When his father goes off an a business trip, César is convinced he has been arrested and sent to prison.  This allows him to win the sympathy of his classmates, in particular Sarah, the most attractive girl in his school.  His best friend is Morgan, whose independence impresses César.  The truth is that Morgan lives alone with his mother, and has never seen his father.  César decides it would be a good thing to go in search of Morgan’s missing father…

This second film from actor Richard Berry has some appeal but doesn’t in any way live up to expectations.  The first half of the film bears an all too similar resemblance to Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain, employing a similar cinematographic style, narrative technique (i.e. excessive use of voiceover) and even similar music, whilst the content isn’t anywhere near as good.  On a positive note, the performances from the child actors are rather engaging, but their contributions are pretty well undermined by a mediocre script that manages to be trite, vulgar and charmless for much of the film’s runtime.  Where the film really falls flat on its face is in the second half, where the narrative becomes unbearably contrived.  The film’s subject, juvenile humour and caricatured cinematic style ensures that the film will have much greater appeal for children than for adults. Certainly, from an adult perspective, it’s a pretty cynical, distorted view of childhood which just doesn’t ring true.

© James Travers 2007

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It is a very funny and interesting film. The inside head of a 10 year old, who is way beyond his age of thinking. This is the perfect film for you, if you wish to get a few chuckles. People of all ages will enjoy this comedic french film.
Mary (Princetown, Georgia) 

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