Da graust sich ja der Weihnachtsmann

I must have seen this film about 100 times : Le Père Noël... is probably the most famous french comedy ever done, at least in France, far, far more famous and cult than the recent "Le diner De cons" (which is not cult at all, plain funny and that's it). Le Père Noël wasn't a real hit when it got released (it was in fact the movie version of the same-titled play), but it gradually became THE reference in cult comedy amongst french teenagers. I don't even see what the equivalent could be in the States. Anyway : each and every line of this film is sheer fun delight, total trashy-meets-uptight-meets gory-meets-nonsensical humor. Obviously untranslatable and mainly based upon the very subtle depiction of each character, most of the specific expressions of the film are now part of everyday language. It's not even a must-see for every french movie-goer since everyone has seen it at least once in his life. For those who don't cringe at french humor (nothing scatological here), this is an absolute topper in fun. Highly recommended.

you can realize that this movie is great just looking at this title. How a christmas night can become the most hilarious movie in French History. Written and played by the friends of the "Splendid" before they split and make other less funny flicks, le pere Noel is a trash look at surrealistic characters who are going to live the most incredible christmas day of their life in the office of "SOS détresses amitié", a phone service in charge to help people feel better . The american remake "mixed nuts" is a shame, that's why, if you haven't see this masterpiece yet, try to get it by all means (legally).

I have seen this movie yesterday for the Xth times. After all these views, I still cannot get tired of it. Yesterday, I was wondering when this movie was actually happening. It is actually dated of 1982. 21 years ago. And after all this time every single piece of humour you see or hear is stil funny.

Ok, the sets are a bit old fashioned but stil represents the type of low-end apartment you could find in Paris and that would be hired by an non-profit association like SOS Detresse amitie.

I don't know what makes this movie so present and why it is impossible not to find it funny after all this time. I think it is the ability to make laugh by taking the opposite of the common sense.

Another interesting point is that the Pere Noel has been adapted from a theatre play written and played by the same actors as in the film. And the movie doesn't look like a filmed play as it often is. There's been a great job in the adaptation of the text as well as the story (because there are some important differences)

I am afraid I will see this movie every year and always laugh with it.

This is the kind of movie you don't mind watching over and over again because its script is so rich, so full of wonderful dialogue and genuinely funny situations, that one view isn't enough to absorb everything. Ultimately, this is a film about the spirit of Christmas in the modern times. We live stressed and frantic lives, so why would Christmas Eve be different form a regular day? That's sort of the premise of this movie.

LE PÈRE NOEL EST UNE ORDURE is a black comedy, a very dark one, full of odd characters and bizarre situations. Themes like homosexuality, suicide and murder aren't left behind and spice up this crazy, passionate, comedy set on Christmas Eve.

The performances are plain terrific, with no exception. The characters are wonderfully defined and the dialogue is delicious. It's impossible not to laugh. a lot! After a relatively calm beginning, the wacky situations start to pile up in a frenzy rhythm. Being a huge fan of black comedies myself, I prefer a more subtle approach to the themes. The humor here is sometimes histrionic, theatrical and over-the-top. That can be easily accepted because the movie is adapted from a stage play and, in the end, it works in perfection.

Definitely one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. It's a family tradition to watch this film every year at christmas since it came out on tape :D The dialog is so witty, quotes are so memorable, "vous voulez cracher, Therese? Non, car c'est offert de bon coeur"... All classic stuff.