Fallait pas!... (1996)
Directed by Gérard Jugnot

Film Review

As the title to this film humorously implies, there are some subjects which naturally do not lend themselves well to mainstream comedy, and the activities of evil, mind-bending sects is arguably one of them.  Inspired by the headline-grabbing real-life drama of the Temple Solaire in 1994, in which fifty or so members of the cult participated in a collective suicide, Gérard Jugnot chose this as the subject of his sixth film with a pretty blatant lack of sound judgement.  This is surprising given that Jugnot's previous six films were extraordinarily tame, including the family friendly comedy Scout toujours (1995) and gentle social comedy Une époque formidable (1991). 

Fallait pas! does suffer a little from its blithe lack of good taste but its authors Gérard Jugnot and Philippe Lopes-Curval still manage to make a half-decent farce out of its totally misguided premise.  In this they are generously assisted by a talented cast who make the most of the material they are given.  Jean Yanne's comic prowess has salvaged many a mediocre comedy in the past - from Tout le monde il est beau, tout le monde il est gentil (1972) to Chobizenesse (1975) - and here, revelling in his role as the leader of a mysterious sect, the comedy legend pulls off the same trick with what is possibly the most over-the-top performance of his career.

François Morel is perfectly cast as Jugnot's inoffensive but totally useless sidekick, and Martin Lamotte is likewise the ideal stooge for Yanne's pantomime villain.  And providing the icing on this over-stuffed comedy gateau, Micheline Presle and Claude Piéplu steal just about every scene they crop up in as Jugnot's eccentric mum and dad.  Enjoyable as the performances are, the film is still badly let down by a script that fails to marry the farcical humour and darker thriller elements of the plot.  Having opted for a controversial premise, Jugnot is then surprisingly hesitant about going overboard with the political incorrectness, so instead of turning out a genuinely original comedy he embarrassingly foists on us one of the half-baked variety, extremely funny in parts but nowhere near as polished as his earlier offerings.

Film Synopsis

After a disastrous outdoor training course in the snow-decked mountains, human resources manager Bernard Leroy makes a hasty return to his fiancée's château on the eve of their wedding.  On the way, his car breaks down and he asks for help at a secluded mountain chalet.  To his surprise, he discovers that the inhabitants of the chalet are a covert sect who are in the process of committing mass suicide.  Bernard only just manages to escape with his life, taking with him one of the members of the sect, Sébastien, and a suitcase containing a vast sum of money.  The organisers of the sect, Magic and Solomuka, pursue Bernard, and will resort to any means to recover their ill-gotten gains...