El club del amor

Great and wonderful movie. A cult movie for me, my friends, my family.. and all French speaking person I know. It is a must, but in its original French version... otherwise, better pass as it's all in the language and the twisted French culture. I Love it !! The acting is great, the script delicious and the jokes hilarious. The comedy is a little basic but so French that each French national may recognize themselves, or their neighbors. The sequel called "Les Bronzes font du ski" is even better but the initial one remain a must see of the French humor at least for the generation of the 80's. I personally watch it once a year with my wife.

This movie is a myth, a classic for the French young generation. If you meet a French girl or guy and try to make contact with him or her, you can be sure that a little quote from "Les Bronzés" will start a passionate conversation.

Nevertheless, you must have a very good knowledge of the French language because of all the jokes and puns; if it's not the case this movie may appear as a very "unfunny" comedy.

You must know that there's a sequel, "les Bronzés font du ski", which has had a great audience success (it's on French TV once a semester and I am not kidding) but which appears to be less funny (less puns). However, it seems to be even more mythical that the first opus.

Most of the reviews have already explained much of the plot, story, etc... so I'll take this in another direction: what its really all about.

While "Les Bronzés" is a comedy, much of it is based on real-life situations that actually happen and what goes on in these vacation villages. I know because not only did I grow up in France and understand their psyche, but I worked for the company parodied for a while.

From the attitude of the GOs, to the naiveté of the GMs, the goofy activities in the village to the sleeping arrangements - the nightly banquets to the evening shows - pretty much everything is portrayed spot on. And *that's* what makes the movie really funny. This movie is a classic in France.

Some of the humor will be lost in translation, however, the subtitles are pretty close to conveying the jist of humor when they cannot be accurately translated. It's a must see for any francophile looking for a good laugh. And if you liked this one, Thierry Lhermite is also in "Le Diner des Cons", which was just remade in Hollyweird as "The Dinner Game".

I can't remember how many times I watched this movie, at least a dozen times and it never gets old. The second French Fried Vacation (what a stupid translation in English) is even better. In Les Bronzés the crew of Le Splendid (consisting of the major part of the lead actors) brought their acting talents to the screen instead of the scene. They know each other very good and that shows on screen. Each character is funny in its way, from the guy that wants to but never gets late (played by Michel Blanc), my favourite, to the fighting married couple (played by Gerard Jugnot and Josiane Balasko), to the macho of the gang (played by Thierry Lhermitte), and of course Christian Clavier with his legendary Speedo showing pubes. All amazingly popular French actors, that became very successful over the years with some very funny comedies. I can't believe this movie is already 45 years old, it certainly aged very well. If you never watched it I recommend you do, and if possible watch the second one as well (Les Bronzés font du Ski) as that one is even better.

If one looks closely at the history of French cinema there is no doubt that Patrice Leconte's cult film "Les Bronzés" has achieved the status of a classic film.The sad thing is that it is considered as a classic film but in a very negative sense.This is because a major section of academic critics in France and elsewhere would never be ready to acknowledge it as a true classic film representing the essential qualities of French culture.Whatever critics might say,reality is that all viewers need film a like this as the survival of art cinema is not possible without the growth of commercial cinema.It is really hard to believe that Patrice Leconte has directed this comic film in the early stages of his career.He is more famous as a director who has made many brilliant psychological dramas in the later part of his successful career.In order to appreciate "Les Bronzés",a viewer must know French language or familiarize oneself with aspects of French culture otherwise the meaning of innumerable rib tickling jokes will surely be lost.This is simply because some of jokes and situations in this film are simply untranslatable.It is a known fact that French people are true expert connoisseurs of sea,sex and sun but some of the behavioral traits of Gallic people shown in "Les Bronzés" are not entirely full of truth as not all French people behave in an irresponsible,wacky manner when they are away from home.The best way to remember and watch "Les Bronzés" is to consider it as one of those rare films in which an intelligent eye can sense hopelessness,misery and pain even in the lives of carefree tourists making merry.