Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely good comedy about dreary but beautiful French rural life and big lawyers., March 14, 2009
This is a film made for Jacques Villeret, it suits perfectly the roles we expect of him. As funny as "Le diner des cons", but in here, he's the protagonist, the chief, the man of town.
For the ones who don't know him yet, he is the image of subjugation. Fat, round, looking like simplicity incarnate, he is nevertheless able to throw some convincing blows. Like in the trial, or to his superb lawyer, when he ventures: "you are not better than me. You're even worse...".
Again a stellar cast. The one I mostly liked is Suzanne Flon as "La maîtresse". A small but pivotal character, she's probably the only one he really cares about, her approval, his goats and stamps collections (!) are what makes him tickle.
Like in many other instances, the province ways mean completely differently than what us urbanites understand by the words. At a moment it's even funny, the judges don't understand what the bar owner is even speaking about.
Like in many films of the genre, one could be left to wonder why are we "siding for" a murderer, but, alas, we do. The first half is perfect. The trial has a bit of a farcical/ hystrionic side verging on the excess. On a "pleonasm" like the lovable maitresse would quip to l' avocat Miramont. Again in a "devil's advocate" role, like his better "Galilée". He's a good comedian, but I'm afraid Guitry's plot makes him overact a little.
Roland Magdane is Le patron du café, very believable if you know the (psychological) type. Nice accent :). Magali is fine as an "allumeuse". Dominique Lavanant from "Soeur Therese.com" among others is a funny "Mme Goutilleux, la pharmacienne" who corrects everybody, even the judge :).
A film that could hardly be improved deserves no further words.
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