One occasionally wonders why some films are made. They are projected on a screen, big first, then smaller, and thus are supposed to exist. Yes there are speaking actors, moving images, a soundtrack in them, but strangely enough when you are through with watching them you forget them instantly. You immediately think of where your car is parked, of what you are going to eat tonight, of not forgetting to phone Frank tomorrow, the lot. Time has evaporated and two hours of your life can be considered lost. you have seen nothing, felt nothing, learned nothing. This is exactly the case of this French comedy, 'Le grand méchant loup' (literally,The Big Bad Wolf), written (?) and directed (?) by Nicolas (Charlet) & Bruno (Lavaine). Not an awful film in itself, simply a soulless filmed object, not really satiric, not really philosophic (despite the promises of its theme : "how to come of age at forty"), barely funny. There ARE good actors (Poelvoorde, Merad, Donzelli, Zabou Breitman, Marie-Chrisitine Barrault,....) in this film, and they do a good job. But what is the point of being good when the character you play is superficial and unexciting? And just what use is it to remake "Les 3 p'tits cochons", a Canadian film maybe, but spoken in the same language (French) and to do it only six years after it was released. Isn't that called laziness? Or lack of inspiration? As for the potentialities of the situation (three immature brothers in their forties supposed to question themselves while their mother is dying), don't even think about them. Yes, their mother's death agony drives the three brothers to change their lives. But what is the result of their quest ? Well, here it goes: life is short, so while it is still time, let's... get laid..., get laid..., get laid...! Obviously Nicolas & Bruno's have no ambition to live up to Bergman or Dreyer but they do not manage to raise much laughs either. At least, I would say their gritty humor did not amuse me very much. You will already have guessed my conclusion: I cannot recommend a film which, for all its good actors, his nice views of the Château de Versailles, is content to copy and paste another movie and to provide bottom-shelf jokes instead of treating a potentially rich subject.
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