Every now and then one happens upon a movie that's profoundly unsure about its own meaning, purpose and tone. "Passez une bonne nuit" falls into this category, since it careens wildly between thriller, heist comedy, satire and warning about the dangers of religious extremism. The intrigue revolves around posh guests staying in a famous French hotel. Some of the guests attract the unwanted attention of criminals, fanatics or even criminal fanatics.
The plot is a dog's breakfast, feeling as though it resulted from a sloppy mix of two or even three different novels. (I've got to confess that I'm unfamiliar with the source material.) There's also a "Join the fight against AIDS" message, seemingly thrown in in order to provide the movie with contemporary relevance.
In case you're wondering how the said message fits in with a tale about the dark doings in a luxury hotel : one of the protagonists (a charming but miscast Marisa Berenson) is a celebrated actress who plans to auction off her old costumes for charitable purposes. At one point models wear the costumes on the runway, resulting in a fashion show that defies description.
The movie does have redeeming qualities. Both the rambling screenplay and the rambling direction rather let the side down, but the various actors do their best. Some of the characters are likeable and some of the lines and gags are good. Watch as the bon-vivant police inspector makes a beeline for the hotel chef, not because he wants to interrogate him but because he's looking for meals and recipes...
I'm giving "Passez une bonne nuit" five stars a) because I'm in a good mood and b) because it made me grin every now and then. (Yes, the last point worries me too.) However, I don't boil with impatience when it comes to watching the other Hadley Chase adaptations that make up the series.
The plot is a dog's breakfast, feeling as though it resulted from a sloppy mix of two or even three different novels. (I've got to confess that I'm unfamiliar with the source material.) There's also a "Join the fight against AIDS" message, seemingly thrown in in order to provide the movie with contemporary relevance.
In case you're wondering how the said message fits in with a tale about the dark doings in a luxury hotel : one of the protagonists (a charming but miscast Marisa Berenson) is a celebrated actress who plans to auction off her old costumes for charitable purposes. At one point models wear the costumes on the runway, resulting in a fashion show that defies description.
The movie does have redeeming qualities. Both the rambling screenplay and the rambling direction rather let the side down, but the various actors do their best. Some of the characters are likeable and some of the lines and gags are good. Watch as the bon-vivant police inspector makes a beeline for the hotel chef, not because he wants to interrogate him but because he's looking for meals and recipes...
I'm giving "Passez une bonne nuit" five stars a) because I'm in a good mood and b) because it made me grin every now and then. (Yes, the last point worries me too.) However, I don't boil with impatience when it comes to watching the other Hadley Chase adaptations that make up the series.
