Do Not Disturb (2012)
Directed by Yvan Attal

Film Review

For his third film as a director, Yvan Attal attempted a remake of Lynn Shelton's independent American film Humpday (2009), seemingly without having got the point of the original film.  Do Not Disturb flaunts itself as a provocative modern study in sexuality but it really is little more than a fairly conventional French comedy, with a few barrels of asinine vulgarity casually thrown in to make it appear racier than it really is.  Whereas Attal's previous two films, Ma femme est une actrice (2001) and Ils se marièrent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants (2004) had a point to them - both were serious, well intended attempts to explore the limits of sexuality within marriage - his latest half-baked offering is a lazy attempt to cover similar ground within the confines of lewd bargain basement comedy.

Shelton's film was not particularly inspired in the first place (what the critics saw in it I do not know) but it had at least a semblance of reality to it, whereas the French version patently does not.  Despite the gutsy efforts of its amiable cast, Do Not Disturb just doesn't come close to getting off the launch pad, and it struggles to be even remotely entertaining.  The painfully long sequence in which Attal and François Cluzet finally get round to carrying through their bet is simply embarrassing - the most tedious spectacle in French cinema so far this year.  Shallow, pretentious and cynically exploitative, this is by far Yvan Attal's worst film to date.  It's best to take heed of its title.  Some doors just do not deserve to be opened.

Film Synopsis

One evening, Jeff turns up unexpectedly on his friend Ben's doorstep and cajoles him into joining him for a night on the town for old time's sake.   In the course of their conversation, the idea of an amateur porn festival is mooted.  The plan is that Jeff and Ben will sleep together on camera, not as pornography, but as art.  The following day, the two men are still keen on the idea and it seems that nothing will prevent them from carrying it out - except, perhaps, Ben's wife...