Gaston Lagaffe

The movie gets a low rating here, but if you grew up reading the Gaston comic books you'll find that they did a decent job bringing the familiar characters to life. Without that background knowledge you probably miss all the little hints and jokes.

As a lot of people i grow up with Gaston the comics and it was some kind of genius on our kid's eyes. French do great thinks but to make a funny movie with a belgian icon as gaston you need... the Belgian touch you don(t heve here so... it's a fail

To start with the plus-side:

Fans of the comics will find literally 100s of details of all kind all over the movie, be it the outfits, Gastons questionable recipes, the evolution of his vehicle, his pets, the archaic instrument, the lighthouse (Ph*** batteries anyone?), the sweet relation to Jeanne....

Jeanne is great and many other essential characters are well transferred to the screen and presence.

One can somewhat live with the decision of some e-commerce startup instead of a publishing company, though, some of the originals subtones and interactions with other people in the office do get lost by that.

Also, the choice of the location with a big open spaces makes sense for storytelling (reminding me of the Jerry Lewis classic "The Ladies Man") and filming, compared to narrow rooms and hallways.

The major fail is the choice and depiction of Gaston himself and the shallow story. Of course, there has to be some story to being pushed ahead and the original cartoons don't have one (apart from the Bravo Brothers).

A better script would have boosted the overall impression.

As much as I can love Pef (Pierre-François Martin-Laval), I didn't find the magic of Gaston in this movie. Transforming a comic that works generally with one page gags in a long feature seems an impossible feat (the only examples I can think of French or Belgian comics successfully converted in a movie are full comic books).

To come back to the movie, if the inventiveness of Gaston that perspires in the comic is indeed found in the movie (through Gaston's invention but also through the use of failed manufactured products, Gaston is too much reduced to that aspect and to his sleepiness. I guess to make him the action spring makes difficult to convey the comic Gaston.

Based on the classic comic strip, Gaston Lagaffe is the first film adaptation to be made since the 1981 unofficial attempt Fais Gaffe a La Gaffe! Which was unsuccessful.

This new take on Gaston was equally critically panned. And yet, there is something refreshing about this film, especially after the disastrous Spirou and Fantasio's Big Adventures, another comic book adaptation also released in 2018. For a start, there is a palpable effort being made here: the filmmakers appear to be familiar with the general idea of what Gaston is all about and certainly try to put it across as best they can.

The cast, the costumes, character dynamics and many of the gags all feel appropriate, close enough to the comic strips, at least. The Spirou movie failed to even scratch the surface of what it should have been but this makes a valiant attempt and ends up having a good amount of charm. Unfortunately, the jokes often don't land. Translating the mostly slapstick humor of the strips, and Franquin's iconic art style, was always going to be a challenge and, while this movie gives it its best shot, it doesn't quite hit the mark in terms of the humor.

The script needed to be a lot sharper. There are some good lines and genuinely amusing moments, however, that should definitely be enough to keep younger viewers, and the young at heart, entertained.

The special effects are also hit or miss and changing the setting from a magazine to a company that turns pointless items into useful ones will prove a bit jarring to those familiar with the comics. Critics were unjustly harsh on this film. It really isn't bad. In fact, it's an endearingly silly and laid back cartoon, much like Gaston himself. And, like Gaston, it's clever and clumsy in equal amounts so you might resist its charms for a little while, it'll annoy you a bunch, but it'll win you over.

Cute.