Papa, maman, la bonne et moi... is a French film comedy first released in 1954, directed by Jean-Paul Le Chanois.  The film stars Robert Lamoureux, Gaby Morlay, Fernand Ledoux, Nicole Courcel and Louis de Funès.  It has also been released under the title: Papa, Mama, the Maid and I.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


Robert Langlois, a trainee lawyer, still lives with his parents in their modest Montmartre apartment.  Robert loses his job when his employer catches him flirting with a female colleague.  He then meets Catherine, a young woman who is preoccupied with bringing up her dead sister’s little daughter.  Head over heels in love with Catherine, Robert persuades his parents to engage her as a housemaid.  The only thing that Robert didn’t bargain for was the possibility that his father might also prove susceptible to Catherine’s charms...

This lightweight comedy was one of the biggest hits at the French box office in 1954, although how it managed to attract an audience of 5.4 million remains one of the unsolved mysteries of the universe.  Even by the standards of the time, Papa, maman, la bonne et moi appears dated, formulaic and somewhat lacking in the humour department.   Although director Jean-Paul Le Chanois made several comedies of this ilk, he is far better regarded for his dramas, the best known of which is of course his hugely popular Les Misérables (1958), which was seen by over ten million spectators on its first release.   

Whilst far from being Le Chanois’ most inspired film, Papa, maman, la bonne et moi has a certain charm, mainly on account of its principal cast and the very welcome presence of Louis de Funès.   When the film was made, the choice of Robert Lamoureux for the lead role - the grown-up son who is still tied to his parents’ apron strings - must have seemed a bit bizarre, considering the actor was in his mid-thirties at the time (and looks it).  Today, however, it is quite commonplace (certainly in France) for children to be living with their parents well into middle age, so in this respect (if no other) the film is still highly topical - as Étienne Chatiliez demonstrated in his similarly themed film Tanguy (2001).

The casting of Fernand Ledoux and Gaby Morlay, two very distinguised actors, is also slightly perverse.  Even though both turn in a creditable performance, it is pretty evident that comedy is not their forte, and so many lines which were (presumably) intended to be funny end up dying a slow and ignominious death on the altar of histrionic sobriety.  Rising star Nicole Courcel at least brings a touch of glamour and modernity to the stuffy proceedings, and we should be grateful for Jean Tissier’s amusing but all too brief cameo appearance.  

With so little opposition, Louis de Funès has no trouble stealing the show, and as soon as he enters the frame, the film comes to life with a vengeance.  It is a sobering thought that de Funès had already appeared in almost 80 films by this stage in his career and still had to endure another decade of thankless walk-on parts in another 30 films before his talents were recognised and he started getting top billing.  The main reason for watching Papa, maman, la bonne et moi is to see Fufu in full throttle, tearing up the scenery (more accurately, sawing it up) in the hilarious furniture moving sequence.  The Marx Brothers could hardly have done better.  Alas, de Funès is barely on screen for five minutes, so after this comedy tour de force, the rest of the film is something of a drag.  The film’s healthy box office receipts meant that there just had to be sequel, and there was - the equally anodyne Papa, maman, ma femme et moi... (1956), another improbable box office smash.

© James Travers 2011

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