Le fils du Français (1999) User Reviews

Entertaining but rather superficial.

[migarance · 4/10 · 27 July 2005]

With its main two female stars, it's location shooting (it's mainly filmed in Brazil), I would have expected MORE than just a rather superficial entertainment from «Le Fils du Français» («The Frenchman's Son»). Alas! it's almost not at all involving. For instance, one of the two grand mothers (played by Josiane Balsko) is an unsympathetic character: she's rude and a thief and a cheat at cards, and the French (improvised) guide is not much better: he's loud and vulgar. Although this effort from Gérard Lauzier does have some undeniable qualities, such as it's fast moving scenes, it's good photography, scenery and acting, it also fails in its hesitation at being a film of a certain given category: is it supposed to be a comedy? a (very vague) social comment on racism or xenophobia? a study of conflicting characters ? I think that it's mainly the adventures of two grand mothers and their young grandson looking for the boy's father, mostly in the Brazilian outback and jungle. There are a few interesting scenes such as the one when the trio, lost in the wilds, is surprised at night by a roaming jaguar. But even then, the outcome of this «frightening» episode (which I won't reveal), though unexpected and almost unbelievable, is supposed to be funny. Another interesting but short-fused but at first very promising episode occurs when the two women (unawaringly) are chosen to be the wives of two native chiefs. Again, the outcome failed to give me the excitement I expected. As for the always exquisite Fanny Ardant (somewhat of a casting error since she looks too young to be the mother of a man in his thirties), as far as I'm concerned (specially if you're one of her fans), her presence alone would be enough to incite you to see that movie : she reveals another facet of her talent... and charm, in a new kind of restrained part. By the way, this movie shows the often seen natives in their natural habitat and in their almost full nudity. In short, not a bad movie but not a very good one either: with its stars, it's location, I would have expected a more «consistant» effort : I found that one of it's most important failings is the expected clashes between the two very different grand mothers -- which turn out to be very mild, to say the least –- and which could have been exploited in a much, much better and much more interesting and funny way !

Refreshing

[iam_noweak · 9/10 · 17 December 2022]

As expected from a French movie, there is so much of the unexpected here. You have the mafia style shootouts, gangsters with drugs and pistols everywhere right before or after the comedy cuts, not to mention the family/human relationships drama sprinkled along the lines. At one point, you even think this is part of an adventure flick with the wilderness and tribal lifestyle portraits of the Amazon. It can be said that the plot is ridiculously absurd that it is brilliant in its own way. I was hoping to see an easy- brainless- family- feud- comedy for a Saturday night but this movie turned out more dimensional than your typical Hollywood force-feeding laughters nowadays, which is good, right?

All in all, the story is complex right through the end and it was an enjoyable watch.