Film Review
The main shortcoming of this well-intended but ultimately vacuous
account of Coluche's participation in the 1981 French presidential
election is that it fails spectacularly to shed any light on the
complex character of its central protagonist. Rather, it
appears happy to reduce Coluche to a simplistic caricature that is not
far-removed from his stage persona. This is not to fault
François-Xavier Demaison's creditable portrayal of the great
humorist, which if nothing else is as good an imitation as we can
expect. Instead, the fault lies with Diastème's shallow
hotchpotch of a screenplay and Antoine de Caunes's painfully
self-conscious direction, which together virtually strangle the interest value
out of a fascinating episode in French politics and prevent us from
getting anywhere near the man who was at the heart of it. The
film's ugly cinema-vérité-lite design was presumably
intended to give it a documentary feel but this just provides another
barrier between the spectator and the film's subject.
Coluche, l'histoire d'un mec lacks
both narrative coherence and character depth, and is a pretty soulless
endeavour - a vulgar and lacklustre tribute to the man it depicts.
© James Travers 2011
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Antoine de Caunes film:
Monsieur N. (2003)
Film Synopsis
In 1980, Coluche is one of the most popular comic performers in
France. He attracts the size of audience other comedians can only
dream of, be it on stage, on television or on the radio. Often,
his distinctive comedy has an acute political slant - he lampoons
politicians and the inability of France to resolve its social
problems. One day, a friend of his suggests that he should go
into politics. Coluche accepts the challenge readily and, to the
astonishment of everyone, he puts himself forward as a candidate in the
up and coming French presidential elections. Even he is surprised
at the level of support he receives from ordinary French people.
He might even end up winning...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
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Film Credits
- Director: Antoine de Caunes
- Script: Diastème, Antoine de Caunes,
Philippe Boggio (book),
Jean-Michel Vaguelsy (book)
- Cinematographer: Thomas Hardmeier
- Music: Ramon Pipin
- Cast: François-Xavier Demaison (Coluche),
Léa Drucker (Véronique Colucci),
Olivier Gourmet (Jacques l'imprésario),
Laurent Bateau (Jean-Paul),
Jean-Pierre Martins (Romain Goupil),
Alexandre Astier (Reiser),
Denis Podalydès (Jacques Attali),
Valérie Crouzet (Laurence),
Serge Riaboukine (Éric),
Eric Defosse (Maurice),
Gille Galliot (Le professeur Choron),
Frédéric Pellegeay (L'agent des RG),
Nathan Alexis Slota (L'enfant foot 1),
Pierre Alloggia (Journaliste à Château-Thierry),
Clémence Aubry (Infirmière),
Claude Barichasse (Claude Blanchard),
Chris Barry (Journaliste américain),
Anne Baudoux (Journaliste),
Philippe Beautier (Agriculteur),
Grégoire Bonnet (Journaliste)
- Country: France
- Language: French
- Support: Color
- Runtime: 100 min