If you have seen "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis", you will certainly recognize that same entertaining formula, based on the interaction of weird, funny characters and amusing situations, which certainly do not appear as new, but always get to please the viewer. The two main characters, the schizoid Belgian custom-officer, who hates all French people and does not welcome the unification of Europe and the more quiet and easygoing French one (interpreted by the good Dany Boon), who believes in integration and tolerance, give rise to amusing sketches, but also the other minor, clumsy, characters help create a comic atmosphere. Original, indeed, is the idea to set the funny story in the context of Europe's unification, which one would think more suitable for more serious and thought-provoking stories, although some reflection upon the consequences of the elimination of borders, is not neglected. I saw this movie in the Italian dubbed version, which was good indeed, although I think these movies, often played on the mispronunciation of words and the mocking of accents, should be seen in the original version, in order to get the real linguistic funny quality, but of course, you should master the French language very well.
17 Reviews
Pleasant but not memorable
richard-178721 April 2016
I suspect this movie grew out of the phenomenal success of Dany Boon's previous movie, Bienvenu chez les Ch'tis (2008), which set box office records in France two years before. That movie was about cultural differences between middle-class Frenchmen and the Ch'tis, the French who live in the far northeast corner of France (what was once the Nord Pas de Calais and is now trying to come up with a new name for itself). That movie plays on cultural stereotypes, true, but it is often very funny.
This one is less funny, frankly, though not without laughs.
This time the clash is between the French and the Belgians. More specifically, it is the story of a family of rabidly anti-French Belgians and the problems they cause for one of their own, who has had the misfortune to fall in love with a Frenchman (Boon). The jokes are usually pretty obvious, but the characters are generally likable - with the exception of the Belgian border patrol guard, who is just too extreme.
You won't be bored, but I can't imagine you'd come back for seconds.
This one is less funny, frankly, though not without laughs.
This time the clash is between the French and the Belgians. More specifically, it is the story of a family of rabidly anti-French Belgians and the problems they cause for one of their own, who has had the misfortune to fall in love with a Frenchman (Boon). The jokes are usually pretty obvious, but the characters are generally likable - with the exception of the Belgian border patrol guard, who is just too extreme.
You won't be bored, but I can't imagine you'd come back for seconds.
Cute comedy
borgolarici4 November 2019
Le comedy has no borders
kosmasp15 September 2014
Humor is a funny thing ... especially when it's a movie coming from France and has Danny Boon starring in it. Of course you might have an aversion to the guy (which would be unfortunate), otherwise you might be delighted watching him, even in the craziest situation, because he can even pull those off.
The plot is not that complicated, patrolling the "border", making sure nothing illegal happens, but the situations that ensure due to characters decision and the consequences are really funny. Of course they could also be tragic at times, but this is not a drama and it is made clear very early on ... which should also be an indicator if this is a movie you'll enjoy to watch or not
The plot is not that complicated, patrolling the "border", making sure nothing illegal happens, but the situations that ensure due to characters decision and the consequences are really funny. Of course they could also be tragic at times, but this is not a drama and it is made clear very early on ... which should also be an indicator if this is a movie you'll enjoy to watch or not
Age Cannot Wither Nor Custom Stale ...
writers_reign13 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
... the old stories and Danny Boon in his fourth At Bat reaches back to the Bard for one of the main strands of his latest triple threat entry, the star-crossed lovers from two rival Houses except the rivals are not so much Houses as countries, France and Belgium respectively. After shooting a video Boon made an auspicious debut behind the camera with Maison du bonheur which was eclipsed - in popularity if not necessarily in content - with Welcome To The Sticks which swept all before it and quickly became the biggest grosser of all time in France. 'Sticks' capitalized on rural quirkiness and either Boon himself or some entrepreneur frightened by a Hollywood Producer clearly decreed that there's gold in tham thar sticks so that here we have yet another wide part in the road with the crucial difference that this jerkwater town also straddles the border between France and Belgium and with Custom Offices tumbling like harness makers xenophobia will soon be a thing of the past. Striving for authenticity Boon has cast some bone fide Belgian actors in the shape of Benoit Pooleverde and Olivier Gourmet. The latter achieved success as a comedian in the Lous de Funes mould then switched equally successfully to straight roles viz Entre ses mains and is now back in his natural habitat as a French-hating Belgian Customs official. Trouble is his sister Louise is in love with his Frnech counterpart, Boon and vice versa. Their simmering rivalry is brought to a head when, on the eve of closure, they are teamed against their will as a task force to combat smuggling. There are chuckles if not exactly belly laughs a plenty and Karin Viard gets a chance to leave the fragile plain Janes behind and take on the kind of role that Francoise Rosay used to play back in the thirties. All in all it's a pleasant diversion but not necessarily one you'd buy on DVD.
Trouble on the French-Belgian border
myriamlenys22 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Now that European unification is approaching, the border controls between Belgium and France are about to fade into insignificance. This spells bad news for the various people (customs men, smugglers, owners of tourist attractions and so on) who make a living based on the very existence of that border. In Belgium, a French-hating customs man with a hair-trigger temper feels particularly aggrieved. In his mind's eye, his beloved country is about to be overrun by hordes of snooty Frenchmen who eat stinking cheese and make condescending jokes. But he does not yet know the worst, to wit that his only sister has been seeing a member of the despicable Enemy Nation...
"Rien à déclarer" is a Franco-Belgian comedy made with enviable production values. (The scenery and sets are outstanding, but beware the product placement...) "Rien à déclarer" made me laugh, but not often and not loud enough. It could have used more brevity, variety and imagination. It also could have used better comedic timing.
I've got to say that the character of the French-hating customs man looked and sounded like a complete psycho : to me, he seemed more disquieting than funny or eccentric. It is hard to think of any reasonable customs service that would hire AND arm a man like that. Christ, in real life such an irascible fanatic could amass a body count worthy of a mass murderer...
The various actors were likeable enough, but they deserved better material.
You'll notice that the French-hating Belgian protagonist has called his son Léopold, in honour of the first king of the Belgians. Now this first Leopold was a very interesting man who lived in very interesting times. In case you, dear reader, are interested in learning more about him you can do worse than watch "Léopold, roi des Belges", a recent Walloon animation movie. The animation movie, which has a nicely handmade feel, provides an imaginative and witty overview of Belgian history somewhere between, say, 1810 and 1870.
"Rien à déclarer" is a Franco-Belgian comedy made with enviable production values. (The scenery and sets are outstanding, but beware the product placement...) "Rien à déclarer" made me laugh, but not often and not loud enough. It could have used more brevity, variety and imagination. It also could have used better comedic timing.
I've got to say that the character of the French-hating customs man looked and sounded like a complete psycho : to me, he seemed more disquieting than funny or eccentric. It is hard to think of any reasonable customs service that would hire AND arm a man like that. Christ, in real life such an irascible fanatic could amass a body count worthy of a mass murderer...
The various actors were likeable enough, but they deserved better material.
You'll notice that the French-hating Belgian protagonist has called his son Léopold, in honour of the first king of the Belgians. Now this first Leopold was a very interesting man who lived in very interesting times. In case you, dear reader, are interested in learning more about him you can do worse than watch "Léopold, roi des Belges", a recent Walloon animation movie. The animation movie, which has a nicely handmade feel, provides an imaginative and witty overview of Belgian history somewhere between, say, 1810 and 1870.
So funny! One of the best movies I've ever seen!
adeej-in-nz29 July 2011
I loved this movie! I've just seen it tonight as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival and thoroughly enjoyed it. The entire cinema was in hysterics. I haven't laughed so much in a movie for a long time. I'm not a film snob. I'm not looking for fine film-making or clever, or thought provoking movies, necessarily. There are some widely acclaimed movies out there that I didn't enjoy, while often movies that are slammed by the critics, I really enjoy. I just love to be entertained, and this movie did exactly that. Were some of the jokes childish? Yes, but it was so funny that it didn't matter. The actors were really believable and did an awesome job. Rien a Declarer - awesome! I absolutely do want to own this movie on DVD.
Zany Action Buddy Cop Comedy with Romance, Drama, and Confronts Racism
Aegelis1 February 2022
Long review title, I know, but a number of genres seemed to blend together in an hour and forty-five minutes. First, I'd like to highly the acting, which I thought was superb, given the broad spectrum of emotions (and lack thereof) all of the characters were expected to portray. As a viewer, I really got to know the dynamic personalities in a personal way by the end. This is a credit also to the writing. I had a laugh out loud moment that is a rare event for me, even in comedies. Action sequences were cool, comedy was classic schtick, and that Renault...
Despite the action sequences, there were a few points in the movie that seemed to drag, or wandered directionless a bit. The ending was a bit of a shrug, but a lesson nonetheless. I don't think the movie would go over well given recent uptight society, but maybe it is just the thing people need to relax?
Despite the action sequences, there were a few points in the movie that seemed to drag, or wandered directionless a bit. The ending was a bit of a shrug, but a lesson nonetheless. I don't think the movie would go over well given recent uptight society, but maybe it is just the thing people need to relax?
I wouldn't bother
benjones-1125 July 2011
The simplest way to summarise this film is to say that it is the equivalent of a B-side of Bienvenu chez les Ch'tis. I found the latter film amusing, but there are many, many French films which do better at providing comedy and a sense of heart-warming, and so it is still a mystery to me how it became France's most successful film of all time. Rien à déclarer has basically taken the same idea (a comedy which focuses on the negative stereotypes of northern France/Belgium) and then repeated it - with less skill. There are amusing moments, but too few and too far between. They are strongly outweighed by overacted slapstick and jokes which are schoolyard style at best. It would possibly have worked better if it had been aimed at all of the family, so that the children could watch a film which uses such childish humour. However, they ruined this opportunity by including scenes of drugs, violence and even nudity, with plenty of swearing! A bizarre decision to exclude such an audience! If you are considering this one, but haven't yet seen Bienvenu chez les ch'tis, then I would strongly recommend you chose the latter. If you have seen the latter, and are hoping to find the same thing with this Dany Boon offering, I would suggest you will only be disappointed.
France: Let's get silly.
Jonathon_Natsis24 November 2012
Given the commercial and critical success of director Dany Boon's earlier film Welcome to the Sticks, it is peculiar that his next project, Nothing to Declare, endured a straight-to-DVD release in France. This is despite its superb sense of humour, engaging interplay between characters and generally fun, light-hearted feel.
The story, set in 1993, centres on the racist, trigger-happy Belgian Ruben (Benoit Poelvoorde), who is paired up against his will with Frenchman Mathias (Boon) in their effort to police the Franco-Belgian border. Compounding the strenuous partnership is the fact that Mathias is secretly dating overprotective Ruben's sister (Julie Bernard). Also intertwined in the story is the oafish Jacques and trying wife Irene, who turn to smuggling contraband between the borders to make ends meet, as well as the world's most incompetent drug ring and their short-tempered boss.
Right off the bat, it's clear that Boon has a talent for ensemble directing. Although he and Poelvoorde share the lead, each fringe character enjoys ample screen time to tell their story and draw audience engagement, while all potential loose ends are appropriately tied up without leaving any individual's fate hanging in the balance.
Humour is consistent throughout Nothing to Declare. Following a slow start, the film employs varying instances of physical, visual and verbal comedy, the latter of which is accentuated by the consistently tense, tight interplay between certain pairs of characters. The arguable highlight occurs as the criminals attempt to disguise their van as an ambulance for the purpose of drug smuggling, but honourable mentions must also go to Ruben's crude, xenophobic dad and the 'pimping-out' of Mathias's patrol car.
Boon casually addresses the fine line between patriotism and racism with this film but, like all good comedies, it permits pure entertainment to take priority, without falling into the trap of becoming too preachy, political or divisive.
*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review. If you're looking for a writer for your movie website or other publication, I'd also love to hear from you.*
The story, set in 1993, centres on the racist, trigger-happy Belgian Ruben (Benoit Poelvoorde), who is paired up against his will with Frenchman Mathias (Boon) in their effort to police the Franco-Belgian border. Compounding the strenuous partnership is the fact that Mathias is secretly dating overprotective Ruben's sister (Julie Bernard). Also intertwined in the story is the oafish Jacques and trying wife Irene, who turn to smuggling contraband between the borders to make ends meet, as well as the world's most incompetent drug ring and their short-tempered boss.
Right off the bat, it's clear that Boon has a talent for ensemble directing. Although he and Poelvoorde share the lead, each fringe character enjoys ample screen time to tell their story and draw audience engagement, while all potential loose ends are appropriately tied up without leaving any individual's fate hanging in the balance.
Humour is consistent throughout Nothing to Declare. Following a slow start, the film employs varying instances of physical, visual and verbal comedy, the latter of which is accentuated by the consistently tense, tight interplay between certain pairs of characters. The arguable highlight occurs as the criminals attempt to disguise their van as an ambulance for the purpose of drug smuggling, but honourable mentions must also go to Ruben's crude, xenophobic dad and the 'pimping-out' of Mathias's patrol car.
Boon casually addresses the fine line between patriotism and racism with this film but, like all good comedies, it permits pure entertainment to take priority, without falling into the trap of becoming too preachy, political or divisive.
*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review. If you're looking for a writer for your movie website or other publication, I'd also love to hear from you.*
not good
Tulbi21 July 2011
I initially didn't want to see this movie because I didn't love the first one (allthough I liked parts of it) - bienvenue chez les chtis - and because the theme seemed to be kind of the same as in BCLC.
I should have gone with my initial feelings, this movie is bad.
Where the humor in the first one was indeed funny and original in "RAD" (rien a declarer) it's a "schoolyard - puberty - bad parts from Ali G." kind of humor. Sometimes I felt as if this movie was a costly produced school project. Some Ideas (that (if well executed) would have been a bit funny) were shown in such an exaggerated manner (e.g. time-wise) that I laughed in the beginning. But after some minutes of depictions of ONE single joke I wanted to cry.
"RAD" lacks a good storytelling, the filmmaker should have realized that it is not enough to string together some "half-baked" ideas.
The whole French - Belgian thing was very badly realized and the acting was also done poorly (except Francois Damiens was funny in a quiet disturbing way).
To sum up I'd say that: "This movie makes you laugh because of how bad it is and because you feel obliged to pursue its comedic intend."
I should have gone with my initial feelings, this movie is bad.
Where the humor in the first one was indeed funny and original in "RAD" (rien a declarer) it's a "schoolyard - puberty - bad parts from Ali G." kind of humor. Sometimes I felt as if this movie was a costly produced school project. Some Ideas (that (if well executed) would have been a bit funny) were shown in such an exaggerated manner (e.g. time-wise) that I laughed in the beginning. But after some minutes of depictions of ONE single joke I wanted to cry.
"RAD" lacks a good storytelling, the filmmaker should have realized that it is not enough to string together some "half-baked" ideas.
The whole French - Belgian thing was very badly realized and the acting was also done poorly (except Francois Damiens was funny in a quiet disturbing way).
To sum up I'd say that: "This movie makes you laugh because of how bad it is and because you feel obliged to pursue its comedic intend."
Another funny movie with Dany Boon
Luigi Di Pilla24 June 2011
It's long time that I waited for such a funny movie. My nine year old son couldn't wait longer and forced me and my wife to watch the DVD this evening. The quality and humor of this movie is only attempted if it is watched in original language. There were many crazy dialogs and scenes and we had to laugh a lot tonight. Dany Boon and Paul Vervoorde played their role very believable and convincing and they merit standing ovations for this performance. The atmosphere and scenery was well adapted to the nineties. All in all again a truly great success for the french film industry and a win for the cinema world. Don't miss it and you won't regret. Congratulations to all the stuff. 9/10. If you liked it I recommend BIENVENU CHEZ LES CHTI'S, L'ENQUETE CORSE or TAIS-TOI.
Disappointing
luthien-2463913 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Hoping for a reprise of the type of comedy of "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis" I found this movie a letdown. The plot offers more than enough material to poke fun at, and it is as if Mr. Boon originally set out to do just that, but lost his sense of direction halfway. The movie feels like "intended as a comedy, but finished like a really bad action movie".
Ruben Vandevoorde's crazed francophobia breaks all credibility. Sure, some people are really that crazy (they even become president ;) ) - but come on, a custom agent who tries to shoot his colleague while running through a crowd celebrating New Year's Eve - come on, pull the other one. It's not funny and doesn't serve any purpose. His trigger-happiness and some other weirdly violent and out-of place scenes prevented me from feeling anything else but an indifferent *whatever* *shrug*.
Ruben Vandevoorde's crazed francophobia breaks all credibility. Sure, some people are really that crazy (they even become president ;) ) - but come on, a custom agent who tries to shoot his colleague while running through a crowd celebrating New Year's Eve - come on, pull the other one. It's not funny and doesn't serve any purpose. His trigger-happiness and some other weirdly violent and out-of place scenes prevented me from feeling anything else but an indifferent *whatever* *shrug*.
A little to declare (tv)
leplatypus12 August 2012
Well, it's a very original francophone movie about the European construction. As I have already said, if we are an Union of 27 states, it's still difficult to share our cultures and to know what happens outside our national frontiers. For one time, this comedy has the intelligence of digging this experience and try to capture the impact of the European ideal in the daily life. Choosing little borders towns and an endangered occupation like customs officers is excellent because all the story is already there.
In addition, i got strong ties with this setting: If it has been Italy or Spain, I wouldn't have been as interested as with Belgium, simply because Benelux is my third home for me as I lived there nearly for one year. In the same way, Polvorde was a personal pick because with Romain Duris and Michael Youn, it's the only francophone actor that I like. Boon and his cute pick for girlfriend are worthy of good mention. Finally as it happens during the best time of the year, Christmas time, I really plunged into the movie.
The production is very lavish, with a beautiful cinematography and it has indeed funny moments. Unfortunately, if the national antagonism is the real motor at the beginning, the machine becomes soon a drug trafficking case and loses a lot of its appeal. It's expected as the movie answers quickly how light the concept of nation can be: as the Belgium officer said countries are foremost a shared past thus something that can't really bound together the living people. Next, the European union isn't really chosen by its citizens but comes from political elite.
The only thing that still bothers me is why does the only song to be featured in this francophone production and that appears in a climax is an English one?
In addition, i got strong ties with this setting: If it has been Italy or Spain, I wouldn't have been as interested as with Belgium, simply because Benelux is my third home for me as I lived there nearly for one year. In the same way, Polvorde was a personal pick because with Romain Duris and Michael Youn, it's the only francophone actor that I like. Boon and his cute pick for girlfriend are worthy of good mention. Finally as it happens during the best time of the year, Christmas time, I really plunged into the movie.
The production is very lavish, with a beautiful cinematography and it has indeed funny moments. Unfortunately, if the national antagonism is the real motor at the beginning, the machine becomes soon a drug trafficking case and loses a lot of its appeal. It's expected as the movie answers quickly how light the concept of nation can be: as the Belgium officer said countries are foremost a shared past thus something that can't really bound together the living people. Next, the European union isn't really chosen by its citizens but comes from political elite.
The only thing that still bothers me is why does the only song to be featured in this francophone production and that appears in a climax is an English one?
comedy perfection
david-161-2839016 November 2014
This is my wife & my favorite comedy ever. Danny boon has directed some side-splitting comedies in the past, but this is his joint best alongside "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis"...in our opinion. I like the fact that there is no sexism, no nudity, no crudeness - just laugh-out-loud comedy at its best.
It addresses the issue of racism in such an unpretentious way - and it gets the message across so well. All the acting is great - but particularly watch out for Zoé Félix who moves from depressed cannot-possibly-be-pleased wife to the opposite slowly over the film in an almost unnoticed way since she does not play a lead role.
This film is one of the very few that I have seen more than once. Enjoy!
It addresses the issue of racism in such an unpretentious way - and it gets the message across so well. All the acting is great - but particularly watch out for Zoé Félix who moves from depressed cannot-possibly-be-pleased wife to the opposite slowly over the film in an almost unnoticed way since she does not play a lead role.
This film is one of the very few that I have seen more than once. Enjoy!
Better than "Bienvenue chez les ch'tis"
karl-s-braun15 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Even if the movie "Bienvenue chez les ch'tis" was a major hit in France I have to confess that it didn't really make me laugh. "Rien à déclarer" was in my opinion way better. This movie is kinda "buddy movie" which focus on the hatred that opposes Dani Boon (the french customs officer) and the always brilliant Benoit Poelvoorde (the Belgian officer). The angle used to oppose those two characters may look a bit basic but that's what makes the spectator believing the story. The movie is pretty good for the beginning till the end and the full cast is great. François Damiens had his little craziness for our own pleasure. Poelvoorde is the main character and is the one that makes this movie above average and trust me that Benoit pulls this waayy above average he makes it great ! If you like comedy and want to have your 2 hours of relaxation, this movie will delight you. Another good move from director Dani Boon. Enjoy !
The Idea of Europe
Motion-Picture-Watchmen30 October 2022
This movie mainly interested me for it's principal subtext.
The overall mediocre comedy, which sometimes offers loud laughters, and the main intrigue itself is passable.
But, as said, the message of tolerance Is what makes the movie stand out from other like-minded comedies.
The movie exemplifies brilliantly the futility of endless bickering and hate towards your literal neighbors. It shows that, while mostly enshrined in geographical features, are still powerful imaginations in the minds of people.
This does not mean that one should forget his national heritage in a process of transnationalisation or to completely deny the less formidable aspects of another culture, but rather that one should embrace the cultural richness and simple humanity of one's surrounding.
Because the idea of Europe is one of tolerance and altruism. And it should be wholeheartedly defended, in my point of view.
The overall mediocre comedy, which sometimes offers loud laughters, and the main intrigue itself is passable.
But, as said, the message of tolerance Is what makes the movie stand out from other like-minded comedies.
The movie exemplifies brilliantly the futility of endless bickering and hate towards your literal neighbors. It shows that, while mostly enshrined in geographical features, are still powerful imaginations in the minds of people.
This does not mean that one should forget his national heritage in a process of transnationalisation or to completely deny the less formidable aspects of another culture, but rather that one should embrace the cultural richness and simple humanity of one's surrounding.
Because the idea of Europe is one of tolerance and altruism. And it should be wholeheartedly defended, in my point of view.
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