Film Review
Written and directed by three French cinema legends with an impressive track
record of turning out incredibly popular mainstream comedies - Georges Lautner,
Michel Audiard and Jean-Marie Poiré -
Est-ce bien raisonnable?
ought to have been a sure-fire hit. In fact, despite its authors' pedigree
and the sublime casting of rising stars Miou-Miou and Gérard Lanvin
as the romantic leads, the film hardly registered on its release in 1981
(its audience amounted to a paltry 0.8 million) and has been virtually forgotten
ever since. Even stranger is that it should be sandwiched between two
of Lautner's big budget box office hits -
Le Guignolo (1980) and
Le Professionel (1981) - although
the popularity of a certain Jean-Paul Belmondo may have had something to
do with this.
Est-ce bien raisonnable? certainly pales in comparison with Lautner's
gritty thrillers (
Le Pacha, Mort d'un pourri) and his more
exuberant comedies (
Les Tontons
flingueurs,
Ne nous fâchons
pas). A much less showy affair, far less reliant on grandiose
set-pieces, it shows Lautner making a good-natured but pretty half-hearted
attempt to move into the rom-com arena, and with a better script he might
well have had another hit on his hands. Unfortunately, romantic comedy
is not Audiard or Poiré's forte and whilst the film has plenty of
humour it is somewhat lacking in real human feeling - although Miou-Miou
and Lanvin make a determined effort to make up for this.
That said, there is much to like about this unpretentious little comedy - the
cast for one thing. Julien Guiomar and Michel Galabru can always be
relied on to lift any middle-of-the-road comedy and do so yet again, knocking
out Audiard's gag-strewn dialogue with the verve of a pair of demon bowlers.
Other distinguished cast members include the director's mum Renée
Saint-Cyr (still a formidable screen presence in her mid-seventies), Jean-Pierre
Darroussin (near the start of his illustrious career), Henri Guybet (a member
of the Café de la Gare company in which Miou-Miou began her acting
career alongside Coluche and Patrick Dewaere) and Dominique Lavanant (inexplicably
non-credited). With such an illustrious cast list, it is easy to be
lured into watching
Est-ce bien raisonnable?, and whilst the film
may not rate as one of Lautner's best and is somewhat lacking in emotional
depth, it isn't short on entertainment value.
© James Travers 2005
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Georges Lautner film:
Le Professionnel (1981)
Film Synopsis
After his arrest, small-time crook Gérard Louvier escapes from police
custody by stealing the clothes - and identity - of a high-profile judge.
A journalist, Julie Boucher, mistakes Louvier for the magistrate she was
hoping to persuade to look into the suspicious death of a man. Realising
that Julie is unwittingly presenting him with a ticket to freedom, Louvier
takes advantage of her error and agrees to accompany her to her home in Nice.
His plan is to slip away at a suitable moment and join his friend Raymond
in Italy.
Arriving in Nice, Julie's domestic life is proving to be more complicated
than ever. Not only does she have a philandering good-for-nothing boyfriend
to put up with, she also has to endure the unwelcome attentions of a former
lover who just will not go away. It doesn't help matters when Julie
realises that she has become strongly attracted to Louvier. It is at this
point that she suddenly discovers her new friend's real identity...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.