Les sous-doués

I saw this movie back in Hungary, when I myself was also in high school, and absolutely loved it. Today I had a chance to see it again, and was a little worried that being 20 years older, and having seen so many more movies since then, I may end up being disappointed. But fortunately it didn't happen! I still found the jokes, the kids and the faculty hilariously funny. The movie successfully transpired that distinct CUTE goofiness we liked so much in other French movies (most notably in those of Louis de Funes), but is completely missing from otherwise brilliant flicks like American Pie. I wish I could find this movie in English, at least with subtitles; I'm sure the American education system could relate to it real good...

Ps.: Our hard-working people will be victorious! ;-)

I saw this movie a couple of days ago on cable TV. Even though it's quite old, it remains funny all the same.

It's about a group of teenagers who are just too dumb to pass their imminent exams for their baccalaureate, and the tremendous effort by their teachers to make them learn the lesson by the deadline (They even use a "Learning Machine", which beats up every student for their wrong answers).

After a misunderstanding involving a bomb, they are forced to take their exams supervised by the police, so they manage to cheat using some really weird tricks, like elastic coats that, when stretched, reveal the answers. The best thing about this movie is that it's amusing from beginning to end, never taking itself seriously. For instance, when an officer finds the bomb, as soon as he shouts "I've found it!" it explodes, leaving his smoldering (and still standing!) skeleton among the ruins of the school building.

Back in the years of high school, a perfect age for this film, cinema for me mend summer time, sky roof theaters, uncomfortable canvas seats, mosquito repellants and a wish that it wouldn't rain.

And one day, I was old enough to take the bus for an one hour travel to the big city where the real cinema theaters were. Together with by best friend, I had my first experience of the short going to see Spiderman. At that age it actually looked good. But the second time we dared to make use of our teenage freedom, we went to this film. The theater was foul. The audience was delighted. We were laughing all the way to the end of the function and some even applauded when it was over.

I never forgot this experience. All the movies that followed had to be compared with this one.

Back in the '80s, in Greece, this film became a legend. French comedies were predominant in those days and we knew French comedians better than their American colleagues. A whole fashion of school movies was provoked by the success of this idea and several bad taste local versions were produced.

Today, apart from me and my friend, probably no one else remembers the comedy that thrilled the country. Personally I still wish for more.

'Baccalauréat' examination is a very important feature of French culture and civilization. Its importance can be assessed by the fact that the intellectual stance of a person is measured in France by ascertaining how many marks did that person get in his/her 'baccalauréat'/"Bac" examinations.Each year,this examination receives elaborate press as well as electronic media coverage. Despite the importance of this examination which is extremely popular outside of France too, there are not many French films which have shown the importance of "Baccalauréat" examination in a light manner. This is one reason why "Les Sous-Doués Passent Le Bac" must be considered a major achievement in the history of French cinema as it treats 'baccalauréat' examination in a very light fashion.French director Claude Zidi chose to highlight restrictions which were put on a group of students in order to make them succeed in their "Bac" exams. Watching this film, it appears as if the students have lost their sense of freedom. It is at this juncture that they decide to play ingenious tricks in classroom in order to score excellent grades. Les Sous-Doués Passent Le Bac shows us the world of students from their perspective as it enables us to understand why youngsters would like to have fun at all costs. It is a pure, visual delight to watch leading men of French cinema Daniel Auteuil, Michel Galabru, Feodor Atkine and Richard Bohringer. Lastly, Claude Zidi worked in close association with Didier Kaminka and Michel Fabre to pen a highly inventive script full of gags and unexpected comic situations.

An absolute must-see for those into teenage comedies. I really wish this one was distributed worldwide as it is somewhat reminiscing of Animal House and The Breakfast Club, but just much, much funnier.

The plot: The story of a bunch of students in a tiny private school. Always up to no good, they end up blowing up part of the school. As a result, they can be sent to jail or... pass their baccalaureate. Since they are absolute losers, they'll come up with the zaniest tricks and devices to cheat during both the written and oral exams (both supervised by the police !). This film is a riot from beginning to end, and after that, you will never forget the "Learning Machine" or Mr. Bruce, the sports teacher.