French farce is an acquired taste, especially since a lot of the sensibilities that drive the plots of such confections are uniquely Gallic in nature. Directed by Pierre Salvadori, this 2005 movie, a spirited throwback to an earlier time in French cinema, is no exception, as it plays like a shaggy-dog, transatlantic re-take on Frank Oz's "What About Bob?" with unsettling traces of Adrian Lyne's "Fatal Attraction" thrown in for good measure. For those who don't embrace this type of farce easily, the film's central flaw is its strenuous premise - that a Good Samaritan who saves a man from suicide has an obligation to ensure that person no longer has a reason to end his life, no matter what it takes.
Credited to four writers (not a good sign), the paper-thin plot focuses on Antoine, a dedicated restaurant maître d', who literally stumbles upon the hapless Louis, who is about to hang himself in the throes of a failed relationship. Antoine saves the near-catatonic Louis and starts to mend his life, first by retrieving a suicide note from Louis's grandparents, putting Louis up in his apartment much to the chagrin of Antoine's sensible girlfriend Christine, and then trying to reunite Louis with his object of obsession, Blanche. The rest is pretty predictable, though there are some nice slapstick scenes interspersed here and there, for instance, the interview and the lobster with the curling tail. By the way, the food at the fictitious Chez Jean restaurant looks wonderful, thanks to Gilles Henry's rich cinematography.
Daniel Auteuil, France's favorite actor, is the one saving grace of the film as he plays Antoine with some sense of comedy skill and befuddled vulnerability, although his character becomes increasingly disconnected with rational behavior as the movie lurches along. As Louis, José Garcia plays an impossible role as well as can possibly be expected, but the character's intolerable nature finally gets the best of him. As Blanche, the woman in between, Sandrine Kiberlain is wan and sallow, hardly a presence that would elicit such adoring behavior. Better is Marilyne Canto, who as Christine, is the only one who seems to represent a reasonable viewer perspective. It all ends predictably though hardly satisfactorily. The movie is intermittently amusing, oddly fitful for the most part, but more pervasively frustrating for the unfortunate premise by which it all hangs so precariously. The DVD has no significant extras.
Credited to four writers (not a good sign), the paper-thin plot focuses on Antoine, a dedicated restaurant maître d', who literally stumbles upon the hapless Louis, who is about to hang himself in the throes of a failed relationship. Antoine saves the near-catatonic Louis and starts to mend his life, first by retrieving a suicide note from Louis's grandparents, putting Louis up in his apartment much to the chagrin of Antoine's sensible girlfriend Christine, and then trying to reunite Louis with his object of obsession, Blanche. The rest is pretty predictable, though there are some nice slapstick scenes interspersed here and there, for instance, the interview and the lobster with the curling tail. By the way, the food at the fictitious Chez Jean restaurant looks wonderful, thanks to Gilles Henry's rich cinematography.
Daniel Auteuil, France's favorite actor, is the one saving grace of the film as he plays Antoine with some sense of comedy skill and befuddled vulnerability, although his character becomes increasingly disconnected with rational behavior as the movie lurches along. As Louis, José Garcia plays an impossible role as well as can possibly be expected, but the character's intolerable nature finally gets the best of him. As Blanche, the woman in between, Sandrine Kiberlain is wan and sallow, hardly a presence that would elicit such adoring behavior. Better is Marilyne Canto, who as Christine, is the only one who seems to represent a reasonable viewer perspective. It all ends predictably though hardly satisfactorily. The movie is intermittently amusing, oddly fitful for the most part, but more pervasively frustrating for the unfortunate premise by which it all hangs so precariously. The DVD has no significant extras.