|
|
Tout pour l'oseille
2004 Crime / Comedy
Review
What is essentially no more than a low-grade chaotic farce, a silly take on the caper
movie, is made surprisingly enjoyable thanks to its impressive cast, which includes some
of the most promising young actors in France today. Bruno Putzulu is amusing as
a sympathetic but thoroughly hapless young man who seems destined to fail at everything
Fate throws at him. Sylvie Testud leaves us in no doubt she has a natural flair
for comedy, even if she obviously has far greater talent than her role in this film allows
her to show. Then there’s Laurent Lucas playing (of all things) a comical skinhead
retard – a million miles from the kind of part he is best known for (the darkly introspective
sort who looks like a graduate from the Hannibal Lecter school of charm and normality).
If there’s just one reason for watching this film it is to see Lucas pushing his own personal
envelope and showing what he is capable of. There are also some nice contributions
from Alexia Portal, Thomas Jouannet and Patrick Braoudé, although all three actors
are criminally underused, largely as a result of a script which merits at least three
more re-writes. With so much talent at his disposal, you’d have thought director
Bertrand Van Effenterre would have had an easy job making a great film. Unfortunately,
the rambling storyline, contrived comic situations and unconvincing characterisation count
against him, somewhat diminishing the film’s impact and entertainment value.
© James Travers 2007 Write a review for this film...User Comments
How do you rate this film?
|
Director:
Bertrand Van Effenterre
Starring: Sylvie Testud, Bruno Putzulu, Laurent Lucas, Patrick Braoudé, Alexia Portal Synopsis
Charlie is desperate to pay back the money he owes his friend, Frédo, a struggling
artist who makes ends meet by working as an interior decorator. With the help of
his unstable and slightly retarded brother Paulo, Charlie embarks on a series of minor
criminal exploits which inevitably turn out for the worse. Charlie’s girlfriend,
Prune, is a cleaner for a company that ostensibly raises money for medical research.
On discovering where the money he is kept, she suggests that Charlie and Frédo
should steal it, thereby resolving all their financial problems. Unfortunately,
Charlie insists that Paolo should play a part in the robbery…
Credits
 More French Comedy |
© filmsdefrance.com 2009