99 francs (2007)
Directed by Jan Kounen

Film Review

Advertising is a dirty word, possibly the dirtiest word in the English language.  If there is one aspect of modern life that deserves to be satirised to death it is that self-serving industry that is dedicated exclusively to coercing us into buying things we don't need and which does very little to enhance our quality of life.  Frédéric Beigbeder, a one-time ad man, had a bestselling hit in France with his novel 99 F (later re-issued as 14,99 euros), a book that viciously ripped the skin off the carcass of a vile industry to expose the putrefying offal that lay within.   In his vibrant film adaptation, director Jan Kounen manages to capture much of the pungent irony, dark humour and anti-consumerist subtext of Beigbeder's novel, although he is perhaps so preoccupied with making a strong visual statement that some of the message gets lost in migration from page to screen.

Jan Kounen's particular talent as a filmmaker - as demonstrated in his previous films Dobermann (1997) and Blueberry (2004) - is in creating a distinctive visual impact.  He is less effective when it comes to constructing a coherent narrative, something which has prevented him from achieving the level of recognition he perhaps deserves outside France.  99 francs has the same failing, but this is less of a problem as the film is not telling a story but rather offering a long-overdue piece of social commentary, humorously attacking an industry that has much to answer for and which has, to coin a phrase, long passed its sell-by date.

99 francs could very easily have ended up as a rather tasteless anti-capitalist rant.  What prevents this from happening and keeps the audience hooked from start to finish is the presence of Jean Dujardin, an actor of rare talent and great comic potential who brings a touch of humanity to the proceedings.  Here, Dujardin performs the minor miracle of making us feel sorry for over-paid advertising executives, those smug narcissistic boils on the posterior of society whom we allow to empty our back accounts so that we can live the dream they want us to live.  Dujardin has pretty well cornered the market when it comes to playing odious rogues that we just cannot help falling in love with.  He tugged our heartstrings like a dying puppy as the spoiled beach brat in Brice de Nice (2005) and almost managed to make old-fashioned male chauvinism look respectable in OSS 117: Le Caire nid d'espions (2006).  As the self-satisfied, self-christened King of the Universe Octave Parango, Dujardin pulls of his greatest coup to date and convinces us that even ad men have a soul, buried somewhere in that skyscraping mountain of ego.

Although the viewing experience is somewhat soured by some self-indulgent artiness and a few futile digressions into vulgarity, the film still manages to get across its message (which is basically that advertising is a social evil) whilst delivering an almost continuous stream of laugh-out-loud gags.  Imaginatively directed by Jan Kounen (easily his best film to date), and with Jean Dujardin doing his comedic utmost to persuade us that an ad man's lot is not a happy one, 99 francs is well-worth its titular price-tag.  But why not wait until the January sales, when you might be able to get this one and another film of your choice at half the recommended retail price (subject to availability, restrictions apply)!

Film Synopsis

Octave Parango is a high-powered advertising consultant who prides himself on the knowledge that he decides what people will want to buy and how they will live their lives.  He is more powerful than the President of the United States!  Working for Ross & Witchcraft, the world's largest advertising agency, Octave's life is a riot of hedonistic excess punctuated by moments of creative genius.  But an ill-fated love affair shatters his complacency and he begins to realise how superficial and unfulfilling his career is.  The last straw comes when his ideas for marketing a brand of yoghurt are over-ridden by his client, who insists on a more banal ad campaign.  After a colleague of his commits suicide, Octave decides to have his revenge - by giving dairy products the image they really deserve...