Le Retour du Héros

Period dramas are not usually my thing to be perfectly honest and when I read that this movie may in fact be 'swashbuckling' I began to get very worried and hitherto horrifying suppressed memories of Johnny Depp pretending to be Keith Richards in a pirate hat came rushing back to me. So, it came as a great relief and surprise to discover that this film is not really swashbuckling in the least and features no characters pretending to be Bill Wyman while sporting a Bicorne hat. What it actually is, is in fact a rather successfully funny period comedy. The story basically boils down to a French army captain who goes off to war in Austria but neglects to subsequently send letters to his bride-to-be. This leads to her sister surreptitiously writing fake letters pretending to be him with ever-increasing lies and exaggerations. The problems start when this man returns as a vagabond after having deserted his regiment, leading to him adopting the fake heroic persona created for him by the sister, only increasing the tension between them as a consequence.

This one works in a large part on account of the acting performances from the two leads Jean Dujardin and Mélanie Laurent, who are both major French movie stars. Both of them are quite excellent and funny in their roles, with terrific chemistry. The script is definitely amusing and channels the early 19th century by way of 2018, where at one-point Laurent complains about a sexist comment with the line 'it isn't the Dark Ages, this is 1812!'. So, there is much great verbal interplay between the two leads but pleasingly, the film is not afraid to throw in the odd visual gag too, such as where Dujardin hilariously spits into a baby's carriage. Towards the end, there is an injection of morose realism with a well-acted dinner scene, where Dujardin for once details the true nature of his war experiences. But it has to be said, for the vast majority of the time, this one is very much for laughs. The beautiful period detail and costuming only adds a nice dose of colour and production value to proceedings too. But, the most important factor is that this is a very successfully engaging and funny bit of French comedy.

Hilarious, stylish, French, quirky, it's a riot of laughs. Our hero is a total slimeball, but very likeable. A gem of a movie.

LE RETOUR DU HÉROS turned out far better than I had expected. Director Laurent Tirard is an unknown to me, but he does a competent job and the film generally flows, punctuated by some exceedingly funny moments, and others which reflect keen observation of human nature.

In addition, despite its palaces and smartly dressed people, the action and dialogue are firmly 21st Century. One of the highlights is the returning hero, played by Jean Dujardin, looking dirty and fallen from grace, accidentally spits on a passing baby. Dujardin, an Oscar winner with THE ARTIST, is in good form but it is Mélanie Laurent who steals the show with her intelligent eyes, beautiful face, and impeccably timed delivery, at times delightfully dry, at others quite ebullient.

The exaggerated accounts of Dujardin's "bravery," and the way Laurent lifts or deflates them, according to her interests, are a real pleasure to watch.

I think the film should have ended with the marriage, the last 5-10 mins are the weakest, but by then I felt I had had my money's worth. 8/10

For acting, twists, atmosphere, tension, dialogue and, not last, for opportunity for Jean Dujardin to use his character like a piece of clay , Le retour du heros is pure charming.

Indeed, the heart of film is the splendid performance of Melanie Laurent and the inspired use of beginning of french XIX century for a chain of letters, lies, eccentric stories and a pragmatic business around a not existent diamonds mine.

The story of a clever crook and naive victims, about some drops of Bovarism and a society finding the cure for boredom. And , sure, about a great hero serving, in impecable manner, his interests.

"Return of the Hero" is a Comedy movie in which we are in 1809, France where Captain Neuville is called to the front exactly after he asks her fiance to marry him. While time passes and Captain Neuville does not send any letters to his bride, her sister starts to write letters on his behalf to cheer her sister up. Everything changes when Captain Neuville reappears after returning from the war.

I liked this movie because I found it very funny and I believe that it had many hilarious scenes. The plot was not the best but worked just fine for this movie and the cast. I have to admit that the interpretations of Jean Dujardin's who played as Capitaine Charles-Grégoire Neuville and Mélanie Laurent's who played as Elisabeth Beaugrand were simply exceptional. The direction which was made by Laurent Tirard had some very interesting and funny moments such as when Jean Dujardin is returning from the war very dirty and accidentally spits on a passing baby. One thing that I did not like was the ending because I think that it was an unnecessary exaggeration and some scenes which were boring.

Finally, I have to say that "Return of the Hero" is an average movie with a few good moments and elements. I am sure that you will have a lot of fun either watching it alone or not and that's the main reason why I recommend it to everyone.