Mission Pays Basque

Only watched this because it was available in a very short entertainment menu on my long haul flight. After Bienvenue chez les ch'tis and similar movies, my expectations were pretty low. Actually the actors are spot on and the plot, even if slightly ridiculous, stays entertaining. The only thing is it doesn't show half of the magnificent potential that this region of France has (yeah yeah I know Pays Basque is also and mostly on the Spanish side). No one goes does there without enjoying the super beaches, the hills and mountains, the food... The people certainly have their own way, customs and language, but they are actually very welcoming and that's something the movie shows pretty nicely. Oh and Parisians are not all pricks, well most of them, not all.

When was the last time you saw a lady taking panties off on the screen and then putting another pair on that was not obnoxiously vulgar but - on the contrary - was the right thing to do, causing the viewers to smile approvingly? Not many, for sure. This is the movie that did it - delicately and elegantly.

It is that sort of a movie where even the most serious issues are handled with humor and great acting which the French are quite good at. The plot has holes in it, obviously - mostly in the scenes, related to the Basque police and weapons parts - but nothing outrageously goofy. The difference between the Parisians and Basques is well played off, trying to articulate fun biases, stereotypes and prejudices, without siding with anyone. It worked well practically everywhere.

It is a romantic comedy, which contrasts the family, business, friendship and other relationships in both places. The result is a very nice watchable movie with quite a few very funny and memorable scenes.

It is well worth watching, maybe even a few times. I, honestly, cannot understand the low rating this movie has on IMDB. Which part of it the viewers did not get?

Hope this helps, thank you for reading.

From prejudices, deals, eccentric people, underwears, bear, guns and romance to the cops locked in room , all is present in this film seductive for the holes from story, for chaos and for the clash between perspectives about life and duty. Not great but real nice. Maybe for the cherries.