Film Review
You would have thought that the combined force of Vincent Macaigne and Philippe
Rebbot, two of France's most likeable screen actors today, would be enough
to redeem any lightweight comedy, but in Guilhem Amesland's debut feature
Des Plans sur la comète this formidable duo more than have
their work cut out for them. This is one of those curious social comedies,
where humour is liberally tinged with sadness, that has become particularly
apt for our era of ever-increasing precariousness for anyone who does not
have the good fortune to have a secure job in (say) the banking industry.
More Italian than French in its style of comic exuberance, Amesland's film
struggles to make much of its painfully hackneyed premise and is too content
to trot out facile gags and comic situations that are painfully familiar.
Prior to this, Amesland's career got off to a more respectable start with
a few directorial shorts and a stint as an assistant on Guillaume Brac's
Un monde sans femmes (2011) and Antonin Peretjatko's
La Fille du 14 juillet
(2013).
For a soi-disant comedy,
Des Plans sur la comète is a
pretty grim and ponderous affair. Thankfully, Macaigne and Rebbot are
on hand to prevent this from being an outright disaster, although, badly
constrained by a poor script and the director's breathtaking inability to
make full use of their respective talents, neither gum-chewing actor manages
to get through the film with his reputation entirely intact. Suzanne
Clément and Hafsia Herzi are the film's other two huggable stars who
end up being casually sacrificed on the altar of mediocrity. With such
a talented quartet on board, you can't help wondering how much better the
film would have been if Amesland had had the good sense to farm out his share
of the screenwriting to a more experienced and capable writer. Whilst
visibly lacking in flair, originality and good taste,
Des Plans sur la
comète does have one or two laugh-out-loud moments, but for the
most part it's the movie equivalent of a botched building job.
© James Travers 2017
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Michel and Frank are two brothers who run their own construction company,
although 'opportunistic handymen' would probably be a more accurate description
of their hapless moneymaking exploits. They can hardly believe their
good fortune when they win a contract to renovate a large house. Their
client Michèle turns out to be a seductive charmer who soon has a
love-struck Michel eating out of her hand. Luckily, Franck can always
be relied on to scupper his brother's romantic ambitions and a budding love
affair between Michel and Michèle is soon conveniently stymied by
his dodgy dealings. In his latest ill-conceived scheme, Franck is assisted
by Inès, a rebellious shop assistant who dreams of freedom...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.