La soupe aux choux

I remember being in France in 1981 and being taken to see this film which I found totally stupid as concerns the script. The years have passed and due to regular showings on TV here I have become gradually attached to the film. The film has acquired a sort of value with its ageing which was not apparent at the time it came out. It should be pointed out that the film is set in " Le Bourbonnais ", an isolated area in central France near to Montluçon, in the Allier Department. The local inhabitants are portrayed as " country bumpkins " eating cabbage soup and farting all the time. The arrival of an alien ( Jacques Villeret - quite a famous actor in France today ) from the planet of Oxo ( is it a play on words with the English beef-stock product ? )who takes a liking to cabbage soup will change the lives of these two " gentlemen ". I'm not saying it's a work of art but it is definitely not as bad as reputed when first released. In addition to that the film music is quite a catchy tune and readily available on CD. So all in all, without going over the top, I would say the film has its place in

French cinematic history. I am not sure, however, whether it would have any success outside France. Is it known elsewhere under another title which I suppose would be " Cabbage Soup " ???

This comedy is a lot different from most other de Funès comedies in that it's very straightforward, there are few misunderstandings or complications, there's little of the choleric de Funès we know. Instead, at the heart of this film, there are two dotards leading their simple day-to-day lives and eating cabbage soup while waiting for their demise. Their quiet life is only endangered by the expanding city in the background.

When they unintentionally catch the attention of a cabbage-hungry alien, excitement ensues, friendships get adjusted, and of course there's a happy "ending". What makes this very simple story so fun to watch are the three main actors, they're so adorable you could watch them an hour longer without ever getting bored I think.

one of the greatest movies of the greatest comedian. I have never laughed more, than in " Luis und seine verrückten Kohlenköpfe"! Unfortunately de Funes died do early to had the chance to see his movies in the cinemas (I was to young). But he is in my memory. Thank you for a lot of great movies!

I've read some of the comments before and it surprises me that people really try comparing this movie to others and expecting from it a classic approach to comedy or sci-fi or even drama. I have the feeling that you cannot judge this movie using the same common patterns because it simply is different. I don't think that producers really wanted this movie to be rushed to cinema or trying to manage making it within a tight budget. Well, it is a small budget movie, maybe, but it didn't require too much funds. You don't need a huge budget to do something really excellent. This movie is a completely new approach to any of the above mentioned genres. And, as lnt-k said just before me, it is above all a wonderful ode to friendship. That's all that matters here. And the actors are magnificent. Louis de Funes, may God rest him in peace, is perfect in this movie, even if the critics were not generous with the movie. I don't need critics to really enjoy a performance like this. Each time I watch it again, I love it more and more. 10 out of 10 from me.

more than a film, a parable. more than a comedy, a reflection. about old age, about the fall of a world, about friendship, about importance of fairy tales who gives sense to life. it is seems absurd in many moments. but it has a special tool to become memorable- Louis De Funes. old, close to death, he does an unique mark to a character who reflects all the sins, virtues and absence of expectations of a rural France.he is not Cruchot or l'Avare but only a mall old man. and Jean Carmet is the perfect partner in a work far to be easy. so, The Cabbage Soup is a sort of legacy of a great actor. sad, almost cruel, using humor to describe the roots of contemporary France, it is a great film. for the memories. for the acting. for the special feeling who becomes useful after its end.