The prologue may remind you of " La Vie Est Un Long Fleuve Tranquille" (1988)and it continues as an update of "Gringalet" (1945) :like in Berthomieu's work,the coming of an adopted child in one of his biological parents'home changes their life .
It's doubtful that the Philippon sisters know the latter film ;and anyway ,their treatment is different , a farce in its first part ,obviously influenced by Blake Edwards , then a melodrama ;this abrupt change in tone throws the film off balance and the epilogue is really the easy way out.
The first part is the best :the curtain rod on the bus, the boastful son delivering his smug speech ,then playing Bizet's "Carmen " ,before breaking into an inane ditty ("my admirable father ,etc). Jérémie Elkaïm is excellent as the absent-minded would be catering assistant who spoils the party ("since you arrived ,says the son,everything goes wrong").François has really to force his way into the house : the electric gate ("wait ,please" says the half- brother)seems to protect the occupants from intruders.
I have never thought that "les Betises"(a big hit in France) was a good song (it's actually rather silly)but in that context it makes sense and fits the movie like a glove ,much to the sisters' credit whereas so many French colleagues opt for songs in English which most of the time bear no connection with the subject.It's when she hears the song that the mother realizes how much she is needed and that a clean-living family is perhaps not enough.
Then the movie disappoints ;Jérémie Elkaïm becomes listless ,bland and loses his screen presence ; the seasoned Jacques Weber's part is too underwritten and his final unexpected revelation ,a la "shame and scandal in the family" ,comes as an anti-climax.Enough is enough !This carnival in which our hero is dressed up as Zorro was already a little heavy-handed.
A good first half means you make it on the percentages ,but lose out on the bonuses:that's still good value,considering the triteness of so many contemporary French screenplays.
