"Le sens de la fête" or "C'est la vie!" is a new French 2-hour movie that was released in Germany just today and this one was written and directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, the duo that is of course still mostly known for their work Intouchables from a few years ago. This one here may not trump the success of the aforementioned, but I think it also becomes pretty famous, also has some really solid awards attention and I am glad about that as I enjoyed the watch myself too. The entire film basically takes place on one day as we follow a team of wedding planners the night of the wedding and see their struggles, often very funny struggles, in turning this into a night to remember for the right reasons. I would say that the film needs a little while to get going and the first half hour or so isn't too great really, but almost everything afterwards is highly entertaining. My favorite moment is maybe the police officer / bull reference that was also in the trailer, but I think nobody in the room found it as funny as me and the one who decided to put it in the trailer. Apart from that, I also really liked the socket reference with the meat that turned foul because one character put his electric razor in. That was really hilarious. Weaker moments include the romance parts between the singer and the female organizer that sometimes only felt included to make sure we never think the singer is racist, thus also the black band member I guess. These two had zero chemistry. At least when they let the balloon loose and it flew away, this was still a funny scene for other reasons than the kissing. Love and romance are common subjects here on other occasions too, like one crew member's affection for the bride that luckily from a perspective of realism did not mount into something bigger then, even if the unlikable groom would have deserved it. God he was unbearable... The balloon scene was just the icing on the cake. I think I have to give the actor credit for that. Other than that there are some pretty funny recurring jokes too like the guy stating the obvious constantly or the illegal employee parts. Overall, I think this was a very funny film. The amount of jokes is really very big quantity-wise for sure and while obviously not everyone can be a winnert, I was still impressed that hardly none of them were unfunny and most were fairly hilarious. Good job to the writers for sure. Only parts like the beginning and the unrealistic power shift at the ending are the reason why I cannot give this more than 3 stars out of 5. In-between, it could at times still be considered one of the very best and funniest comedy films of 2017, if we go by the original release date. Almost all characters are interesting and entertaining without ever getting gimmicky in a bad way I would say. And the music was good too, especially the inclusion of one really catchy song. Without hesitation, I recommend seeing this movie. These 2 hours went by very quickly thanks to a whole bunch of characters that you enjoyed seeing. If they ever made a sequel to this one, which certainly is an option given the ending, then I think I'd watch this one too pretty safely. Thumbs up for this film that has not one performance or character really stand out, but it's an amazing ensemble cast turn. Positive recommendation for sure.
Review of C'est la vie!
