For many years, Belgian artist Jean Roba (1930-2006) drew a comic book strip about the adventures of a lively red-headed boy and his faithful cocker spaniel. The sweetly comical and/or surreal adventures of "Boule & Bill" - in Dutch, Bollie & Billie - delighted generations of Belgian readers. In fact the various albums soon charmed children and families all over Europe : millions of copies have been sold, translated into a multitude of languages.
This movie, however, does not strike the right tone, either because it tried and failed or else because it didn't try to begin with. (I strongly adhere to the second theory.) The movie is boring and inspirationless rather than lively and concise. What's worse, the original innocence of the comic books gets replaced by far nastier things such as meanness and madness.
Consider the basic premise of the movie : a father draws a sweetly jolly and funny comic inspired by his own idyllically happy home life. His new female editor tells him to stuff it : she needs darker, more tormented and conflicted work. The artist, who does not challenge this strange assumption, tries to become a "peintre maudit". (At one point he invites a random neighbour to slap him in the face, hard, so as to obtain the necessary artistic street credibility.) He also tries to undermine the joyful harmony of his little family, finding all kind of pretexts to embarass or demean his wife and son. Even the inoffensive family dog becomes a target for his schemes. Nice, isn't it ? I'm sure kids all over Europe are going to appreciate the idea of a father deliberately sabotaging his young son.
Other elements are inept, rather than repulsive. For instance, the scenes where the cocker spaniel and his canine friends meet and "speak" are deeply unconvincing. Basically, the viewer sees images of dogs looking at each other or sitting/walking close to each other. If there's any kind of communication going on, it must happen through telepathy...
I'm adding a second star because "Boule & Bill 2" contains a likeable evocation, through sets and scenery, of a particular time and place - but that's it, no more than two stars for this unpleasant misfire. Do treat your children to a funnier and kinder comedy...
This movie, however, does not strike the right tone, either because it tried and failed or else because it didn't try to begin with. (I strongly adhere to the second theory.) The movie is boring and inspirationless rather than lively and concise. What's worse, the original innocence of the comic books gets replaced by far nastier things such as meanness and madness.
Consider the basic premise of the movie : a father draws a sweetly jolly and funny comic inspired by his own idyllically happy home life. His new female editor tells him to stuff it : she needs darker, more tormented and conflicted work. The artist, who does not challenge this strange assumption, tries to become a "peintre maudit". (At one point he invites a random neighbour to slap him in the face, hard, so as to obtain the necessary artistic street credibility.) He also tries to undermine the joyful harmony of his little family, finding all kind of pretexts to embarass or demean his wife and son. Even the inoffensive family dog becomes a target for his schemes. Nice, isn't it ? I'm sure kids all over Europe are going to appreciate the idea of a father deliberately sabotaging his young son.
Other elements are inept, rather than repulsive. For instance, the scenes where the cocker spaniel and his canine friends meet and "speak" are deeply unconvincing. Basically, the viewer sees images of dogs looking at each other or sitting/walking close to each other. If there's any kind of communication going on, it must happen through telepathy...
I'm adding a second star because "Boule & Bill 2" contains a likeable evocation, through sets and scenery, of a particular time and place - but that's it, no more than two stars for this unpleasant misfire. Do treat your children to a funnier and kinder comedy...