"Ah! Qu'Il Fait Bon Chez Nous " (=there's no place like home) is a comedy,and it's also a musical though Jean-Pi does not conduct a jazz band ,as Mr Bellinger writes in his otherwise accurate precis.The music we hear has nothing to do with jazz ,it's rather Chanson Populaire (the title track),Musette waltz( "Ca C'Est L'Amour "), a song which reflects the situation ("Quand On Aime Bien") or even catchy funny easy-listening ditties as the silly "Buddah".
As for the plot ,it's the story of two partners in cheese trade who want their children to marry and thus carry on with the tradition;but the boy is not prepared to accept it ('he's nothing but a traveling performer" says his (future?) father-in-law ) because he lives for music ,much the displeasure of the two girls who have a crush on him,although one of them is a Chanteuse in his group.
If you are going to enjoy this ,your disbelief needs to be suspended: it's a ponderous farce which deals with:
-One of the musicians who is mistaken for (you read well) a Buddah avatar;thus worshiped by one of the cheese traders ,he gets plenty of dough to help the group buy equipment and tour Belgium (the best country in the world,would we believe the title track :"Holland has windmills and tulips,England ,fog and Scotland Yard ,Swiss has Swiss cheese ,still we are the nicest place in universe)
-Two girls vying for musician Jean-Pierre's heart who seems,even if, all is well that ends well,more interested in his band than in marriage.
-pieing : in which cheese replaces cream pies. .
-A very short (a few seconds)cameo by a real life boxer,Cyrille Delannoit.
Not really a gourmet dish ,not a cheese soufflé ,a guilty pleasure for those whose taste runs that way.
As for the plot ,it's the story of two partners in cheese trade who want their children to marry and thus carry on with the tradition;but the boy is not prepared to accept it ('he's nothing but a traveling performer" says his (future?) father-in-law ) because he lives for music ,much the displeasure of the two girls who have a crush on him,although one of them is a Chanteuse in his group.
If you are going to enjoy this ,your disbelief needs to be suspended: it's a ponderous farce which deals with:
- seances in the dark,where they -not common- get in touch with Buddah.
-One of the musicians who is mistaken for (you read well) a Buddah avatar;thus worshiped by one of the cheese traders ,he gets plenty of dough to help the group buy equipment and tour Belgium (the best country in the world,would we believe the title track :"Holland has windmills and tulips,England ,fog and Scotland Yard ,Swiss has Swiss cheese ,still we are the nicest place in universe)
-Two girls vying for musician Jean-Pierre's heart who seems,even if, all is well that ends well,more interested in his band than in marriage.
-pieing : in which cheese replaces cream pies. .
-A very short (a few seconds)cameo by a real life boxer,Cyrille Delannoit.
Not really a gourmet dish ,not a cheese soufflé ,a guilty pleasure for those whose taste runs that way.
