French connection
Modern charms, universal humour highlights of this French comedy
The newest comedy from French co-writers/directors Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano isn’t quite the feel-good laugh-fest that was 2011’s The Intouchables (remade last year in the U.S. as The Upside). But this Robert Altman-esque look at the life of a wedding planner has its own modern charms.
Jean-Pierre Bacri stars as Max, who’s been in the wedding planning business so long he knows all the tricks. His watchword: “We adjust.” But he’s also planning on getting out of the trade, and in comedies that “I’m about to retire” cliché never fails to unleash mayhem.
The filmmakers nicely divvy up the blame. Yes, the groom is
a preening boor and his mother a fussy hen, but there’s also an inflexible photographer who can’t keep his hands off the hors d’oeuvres (and, later, one of the guests); a singer who thinks he is France’s answer to James Brown; and Max’s slovenly brother-inlaw Julien, who won’t stop correcting people’s grammar.
Actually, that subplot highlights some of the problems with this export, which debuted at last fall’s Toronto International Film Festival. French wordplay doesn’t translate well through subtitles, and neither will the musical requests of the older guests make sense to North American ears.
But that’s not the movie’s fault, and most of its humour transcends language. The groom’s endless monologue, love and lust among the wait staff, and even the venue’s lack of sufficient electrical power will resonate on this side of the pond.
And any cultural references you don’t get, you can at least feel kinship with the Sri Lankan immigrants who make up part of the catering staff. “They really are something else, the French,” says one of them, shaking his head. Best of all, their unexpected skills add to the film’s rousing finale.