L'emmerdeur

One of my favourite films. A very funny story made even more so by a brilliantly underplayed performance by Lino Ventura, portraying an hitman sidelined by a very annoying travelling salesperson played not as badly as some critics have suggested by popular songster Jacques Brel. This movie is so laugh-filled one wonders where more recent comedies so have failed. A must-see for film fans.

Professional hitman Ralf Milan checks into a hotel overlooking a court of law and all he wants is to be left in peace to assassinate a key witness but unbenownst to him there is an amiable idiot named Francois Pignon in the next apartment who is unsuccessfully trying to hang himself........

Written by Francis Véber and directed by Edouard Molinaro whose collaboration was to strike gold with 'La Cage aux Folles', this bizarre opus is a hugely entertaining blend of deadpan humour and laugh-out-loud visual gags and is an absolute must for those who like their comedies 'black'(apologies to the wokerati)

In his second of three films for this director, the casting of Lino Ventura as Milan is a masterstroke for in what at first appears to be a crime thriller he is merely sending up his well established tough guy/mobster image, so much so that his gradual disintegration as his plans are thrown into disarray by the terminally irritating Pignon is wondrous to behold. Ventura is a revelation in this and proves that comedy is at its most effective when played 'straight'.

Belgian singer/songwriter and sometimes actor Jacques Brel, in what was to be his final film, is the first to portray Pignon who has since been reincarnated by Jacques Villaret, Pierre Richard, Patrick Timsit in Véber's own badly received remake and last but not least Daniel Auteuil.

Véber's 'odd coupling' evidently appealed to Billy Wilder but his makeover 'Buddy, Buddy' featuring Messrs. Matthau and Lemmon is, for this viewer at any rate, a huge disappointment.

I liked this film, not really belly laugh funny, but the situation comedy that Lino Ventura and Jacques Brel get themselves into, can be very humorous. Ventura plays an assassin who is trying to do a job, however he gets caught up with Brel's annoying and suicidal hypochondriac, foiling his attempts, by trying to commit suicide in the room next door to the room Ventura is in to do the hit. This causes the police to be called to the hotel. When they arrive however, Ventura persuades them that Brel is a friend and he will look after him and get him back on his feet. He decides to get rid of Brel, so that he can continue on his original task, but then ends up helping him to settle the score with his wife, who has left Brel for a rich medical doctor and that is when the real fun starts...!

Watching movies 'backwards' is an interesting experience. There are so many good titles out there that were shot before I was born or I was grown up enough to have a chance to see them. Buddy, Buddy is one of them. However, looking at the critiques, I discovered that this is again a remake of a great French movie, L'Emmerdeur. Last time I have seen Ture Lies first, than I watched La Totale!, which was quite a disappointment, as the US version was just way much better, more money, better actors, etc. So now, I have decided to watch L'Emmerdeur first and just then Buddy, Buddy.

Although the movie was not fast as a paced action movie, the 80 minutes went by quite fast. I liked the atmosphere of the film, which is typical for French movies of this time: simple setup, small budget, great ideas and great actors. I just loved the funny situations and little jokes throughout.

The other attraction of the movie is the great Belgian singer, Jacques Brel (1929-1978). Although not French, he's a characteristic of French pop music of the 20th. Although he played in a number of movies, he's really not talented for an actor, the only other movie of his that worth a watch is 'L'aventure, c'est l'aventure'. However, as a composer/singer, he was fantastic, just browse to jacquesbrel.be to discover.

In case you're a fan of French movies as I am, this is a must to watch. However, as time has passed, L'Emmerdeur brings enough entertainment only for a Saturday/Sunday afternoon for the big audience, strongly recommended for family watch - 7/10.

This is one of the last good comedies Molinaro was able to make, before he got stuck in Cage aux folles-robotic entertainment. Pairing Lino Ventura and Jacques Brel was a wonderful idea: one is so dour and methodical, the other so emotional, helpless, a real loser.

The hotel scenes are very well set up; there is a claustrophobic feeling about the layout of the suites. The water seeping through the door into Ventura's suite from Brel's bathroom after the suicide attempt prevents Ventura from concentrating on assembling his rifle--very well handled by Molinaro. The clinic scene, with Ventura ending up in a strait-jacket is a marvelous four-way comic piece with Caroline Cellier and Jean-Pierre Darras joining the two principals.

Now, if someone will bring back La Mandarine (with an impressive Annie Girardot) and L'Homme pressé, two more great Molinaro pictures from the 70's, my happiness will be complete.