Vacances explosives!

..This should be the title instead of "explosive holiday" .

Madame Arlette (Arletty) marries her daughter to a young lad (not exactly the right one to protect her when she is in distress:Philippe Bouvard ,whose program "Les Grosses Tetes" has been on French radio since I can't remember;now 80,Bouvard is still on the waves).

Madame Arlette made two big mistakes: 1)She bought a restaurant from a shady person who is actually a gangster who wants to retire after a last business....

2)Unfortunately ,this last deal is a painting the frame of which is full of cocaine (Who would buy such a horrible picture?).And unfortunately,the newly weds have agreed to carry this thing to the south of France ,and of course they do not know that...

Partly a road movie,partly a chase ,this is typically the gangsters comedy which was trendy in the late fifties /early sixties in France,the best of the lot being arguably Gilles Grangier's "Le Cave Se Rebiffe" .No Michel Audiard here,but there are two or three good lines .Arletty portrays a big chief's widow and she is up to scratch when it comes to helping her offspring;Françoise Rosay was more used to this kind of character.

Sure,Arletty deserved much better -but she must have been overjoyed to play again opposite Tissier and Andrex- but as she plays lead -which was rare at the time -,her numerous fans will have certainly a good time.