Situation comedy has got itself a bad name over the years, but at its best, this is undeserved - think, for example, of 'Fawlty Towers', of which this film reminds me. The similarities are clear: exaggerated but essentially believable characters pushed into absurd situations by malign circumstances; great writing; and impeccable performances, which in 'Le Diner du Cons' come from the perfectly balanced double act of Thierry Lhermitte and Jaques Villeret. Moreover, the particular premise - of the comeuppance of a smug Parsian bourgeois who invites idiots to dinner to laugh at them - is fresh, and while this might not be the deepest of movies, it never over-cooks itself and leaves you after just 75 minutes still wanting more: a light and delicious movie.
Review of Le Dîner de Cons
