Film Review
Le Petit Spirou (a.k.a.
Little Spirou) is the latest entry
in a slew of adaptations of popular comic books to hit French cinema screens
in recent years.
Lucky Luke (2009),
L'Élève Ducobu
(2011),
Boule et Bill (2013) and
Les Profs (2013) have met
with varying degrees of success, but none has surpassed the 14.6 million
spectators attracted by
Astérix et
Obélix : Mission Cléopâtre in 2002. In
common with more recent comic book adaptations,
Le Petit Spirou is
aimed more at a family audience than a conventional mixed mainstream attendance,
although its infantile handling of its source material by Philippe Tome and
Janry makes it more suitable for young children.
The film is directed with a vague smattering of flair by Nicolas Bary, his
third feature after two previous well-received book adaptations:
Les Enfants
de Timpelbach (2008) and
Au
bonheur des Ogres (2013). Right from the get go, Bary's directorial
efforts are frustrated by a script (which he wrote in collaboration with
Laurent Turner) that fails spectacularly to rekindle the anarchic fun of
Philippe Tome and Janry's original stories. Instead, what the film's
authors deliver is a somewhat limp coming-of-age tale that is too shallow
to engage an adult audience and too strait-laced for the youngsters.
On the plus side, the cast boasts some formidable acting talent, with François
Damiens, Pierre Richard and Natacha Régnier coming across as humongously
sympathetic, although newcomer Sacha Pinault fails to make much of an impact
as the titular little Spirou. Ill-receieved by the critics,
Le Petit
Spirou was not a great success at the box office - it attracted less
than half a million spectators.
© James Travers 2017
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Spirou is a happy 14-year-old boy who is destined to become a hotel bellboy,
like every member of his family. At the moment, he is leading the insouciant
life of any boy of his age - doted on by his affectionate grandfather, messing
about with his unruly classmates and struggling to summon up the courage
to tell the apple of his eye, the beautiful Suzette, that he is madly in
love with her. Then comes the fateful day when his mother tells him
he is to be enrolled in a special school for bellboys, where he will learn
to train for his chosen profession.
It is an opportunity that most boys of Spirou's age would jump at -
if only for the smart red uniform, complete with cap, which they will get
to wear! What a honour and privilege it must be, to attend to a lift
in a prestigious hotel frequented by some of richest and most important people
in the world! But Spirou is uncertain whether this is really where
his future happiness lies, so without his mother knowing he consults a fortune
teller. It seems that Spirou's future will be far more exciting and
unpredictable than he imagined. His adventures are only just beginning...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.