Les Visiteurs en Amérique

Whenever a foreign film is good enough for the american film industry to want to copy it they usually botch the job by trying to americanize it. If you have ever seen the original, "Les Visiteurs" then you probably know what I am talking about. This american version would have done well to stick to the original story. It's unfortunate that the the writer (also the original's director) tried to "fix" something that wasn't broke.

This movie doesn't get enough credit. I found it in a DVD bargain bin after never even hearing about it on cinema, which is a great pity. Jean Reno is in a different role for a change, and he excels - his comic timing is perfect, and together with Applegate and the dumb slave, you are left wishing you could see more of them. You also develop a real hate for Applegate's boyfriend. I laughed solidly the entire way through at the way the characters battled to fit in with modern living standards. Everything from the concept to the jokes, even the graphics, is done really well, and I would highly recommend this to fans of sci-fi comedies or even romantics. 8/10

Just Visiting is an American remake (starring the same two main characters) of the excellent French "Les Visiteurs" from 1993. The remake is of course not on par with the original, which is a perfect comedy. The U.S. version is much duller, and marred by several things, such as Jean Reno being too old to successfully reprise his role, and many jokes simply not being very funny.

It gains, however, on two important counts. First, Malcolm McDowell's wizard, who has a much larger and more interesting part in this movie than the original wizard did in the first movie. Second, Christina Applegate's character. She is surprisingly good, and a delight to watch. She's never been a terrible actress, but here she's extraordinary. She plays a kind of good-hearted, intelligent and yet naive character that, to my knowledge, is quite different from the other characters she's played. Where she's often been an air-head bimbo, here she's genuinely appealing; even endearing.

It still does detract from the movie that, to a great degree, it merely goes through the motions of the original movie, trying to mimic the jokes and japes, and very often failing miserably. Still and all, it's worth watching and is better than it might have been.

I rate this one 7 out of 10. You should see the original, though, which is far more inspired and also gives a great impression of spontaneity. I rate the original version 10 out of 10. It's that good.

Magic, as well as evil, is afoot in 12th Century France, and when the two are combined to effect the sinister scheme of an unscrupulous individual the result is a comedic journey for a Nobleman and his lackey as they are transported into the 21st Century in `Just Visiting,' directed by Jean-Marie Poire, and starring Jean Reno and Christina Applegate. Count Thibault (Reno) is about to marry Princess Rosalind (Applegate), daughter of King Henry (Richard Bremmer) and his Queen (Sarah Badel), but at a prenuptial banquet the Earl of Warwick (Robert Glenister), who covets the fair Rosalind, coerces a witch (Valerie Griffiths) into casting a spell that will enable him to usurp Thibault and make Rosalind his own. The plan goes gravely awry, however, and Thibault subsequently engages the talents of an English Wizard (Malcolm McDowell) to set things aright. But the Wizard proceeds to muck it up even worse, sending Thibault and his slave, Andre le Pate (Christian Clavier), into a `Tunnel of time' from which they ultimately emerge in Chicago, 2001, where they encounter Julia Malfete (also Applegate), the spitting image of Rosalind, who turns out to be a direct descendant of Thibault. And it becomes the task of the Nobleman, Thibault, to find a way back to his own time. In the meantime, he and Andre attempt to negotiate this world of the future with a Medieval mind-set that puts them at odds with the inanimate objects and humans that surround them. And it becomes a trial by fire for the brave Count, and a laugh riot of uproarious proportions for the audience.

This stranger-in-a-strange-land, fish-out-of-water scenario has been done before, to be sure, but it's given a fresh face here compliments of Poire, who sets a good pace and keeps the story on track, and the talents and impeccable comedic timing of his cast, especially Clavier and Reno, who play so well off of one another. Much of what transpires is predictable-- the way Thibault and Andre react to a modern city replete with technology, and specifically things like automobiles, light switches and television-- but they always manage to take it one step further, which makes the humor spontaneous and genuinely funny.

Reno is perfect as Thibault, playing it straight and allowing the humor to naturally evolve from the character's reaction to a situation rather than going for the purely physical humor. Reno, in fact, demonstrates a real talent for acting through reacting, which makes his character believable and adds to the humor of the film. He never allows Thibault to lose that 12th Century logic, willing to attest to his own nobility, for example, to anyone who will listen, and backing it up with a verbal inventory of his assets, which includes things like fifty barrels of olives and, of course, Andre. It's not a performance that requires a lot of depth, but for the film to work it had to be done right, and with precision, and Reno succeeds admirably on both counts.

Clavier, on the other hand, goes straight for the jugular with an all-out assault of slapstick and physical humor that takes it right to the edge and works perfectly in effecting what was intended: He makes you laugh out loud. Reminiscent of a cross between Peter Sellers' Clouseau-- though not as subtle-- and the best of Monty Python, Clavier creates a memorable character, who as the `property' of Thibault gives a real perspective and context to the humor of the story. Some of his `discoveries' of the modern world will have you rolling on the floor. And again, the fact that he plays the character straight and not just `for' laughs adds significantly to the overall humor of the film.

Christina Applegate provides a welcome presence as Rosalind/Julia, and while not a stretch for her as an actor, by any means, she lends a quality to the film that could be easily overlooked, but would be quite apparent as a missing element without her. She has a natural, charismatic manner that makes her endearing and sympathetic, and it's a good, solid performance through which she creates a credible, well rounded character.

The supporting cast includes Matt Ross (Hunter), Tara Reid (Angelique), Bridgette Wilson (Amber), John Aylward (Byron), George Plimpton (Dr. Brady), Bill Bailey (Thibault's Father) and Clare Welch (Thibault's Mother). A comedy that successfully blends the fine art of comedic subtlety with physical gags, `Just Visiting' is everything a comedy should be: Funny and entertaining. And it does it without venturing into over-the-top Farrelly Brothers territory or by employing the abstract brand of hilarity often offered by the Coen Brothers. It's a film that succeeds on it's own merits, and does it splendidly. It's a funny one you don't want to miss, and that's the magic of the movies. I rate this one 8/10.

All the warning signs were there. Jean Reno already made a perfectly good version of this film in 1993. Unfortunately, Americans do not like subtitles or films set outside their own country, so Just Visiting was conceived, chiefly with the aim of milking a few more dollars from the original idea.

Unfortunately, the humour is not as good, the acting of the US supporting cast is not as good, and the plot makes far less sense than the original. Why would he be transported to Chicago? What are the odds his descendant lives in Chicago? The original was much more plausible - it was set in the same geographical area, so meeting one's descendants is not so ridiculous, and it created plenty of humour based on Sir Godefroy's shock to learn that his castle was now owned by the descendant of his moronic lackey, whereas his descendant lived in a modest 3 bedroom house.

For goodness sake, save your ticket money and get the original French version "Les Visiteurs" on video. It is a far better film.