Un plan parfait

Dany Boon is a genius.

This is a great romantic comedy, the framing device is brilliant and surprising, the narration spotless, the acting first-rate, the comedy: funny!

The success is that while drawing from the finest of comedies in cinema history : Capra (It Happened One Night) Lubitsch (Ninotchka) Sturges (The Lady Eve) Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle) this brings new breath to a well-worn genre.

An example off the top of my head is the way in which Diane Kruger struggles to seduce Boon and the dose of pragmatic realism she brings to this difficult task, which makes her all the more sympathetic and funny. She is miles away from Claudette Colbert in The Palm Beach Story, who so easily puts her adventuress plans into action, almost purring with pleasure.

Yes, this film is French but you can still enjoy it even if sound comes out of the actors mouths when they speak and it isn't English but French, I promise you it is a million miles from stereotypical French cinema, this deserves an international audience! (got that off my chest)

This is entertainment, get it while it's hot! (no there isn't any explicit sex in it and no existentialism either, a truly different French film)

In Paris, Corinne "Coco" (Alice Pol) brings her chief Valérie (Laure Calamy) to spend the Christmas Eve with her family. Valérie is depressed since she is newly divorced and Coco decides to tell the story of her sister Isabelle (Diane Kruger) to Valérie to cheer her up. Isabelle is a dentist that has been living with and working in the same office of her boyfriend Pierre (Robert Plagnol) for ten years. When they decide to get married, Isabelle and Coco are worried about the family curse that every first marriage ends in divorce. Isabelle and Coco arrange a marriage for Isabelle with a student in Copenhagen so that she can immediately divorce to marry Pierre to live happily ever after.

In the flight, Isabelle meets the inconvenient free-spirited tourism columnist Jean-Yves (Dany Boon) that is traveling to Kenya. When the student does not show up, Isabelle decides to travel to Kenya to marry Jean-Yves. She has the chance when they travel to visit a Masai people when they get married. Isabelle returns to Paris and when she goes to schedule her wedding with Pierre, she discovers that Jean-Yves has registered his Masai wedding certificate in Paris. Now Isabelle travels to Moscow expecting to force Jean-Yves to sign the divorce papers. Will she succeed in her intent?

"Un plan parfait" is a charming movie with a silly premise. The idea of the family curse and the attitude of a clever woman like Isabelle traveling to Denmark first and Kenya later to get married and a quick divorce after is ridiculous. But Diane Kruger is a gorgeous, talented and charming actress and her chemistry with Dany Boon makes the movie work despite the premise. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Um Plano Perfeito" ("A Perfect Plan")

It is a stylish and mildly diverting romantic comedy that, despite a charming lead performance, never quite rises above its predictable premise. The film follows a woman who, to break a family curse, devises an elaborate scheme to marry and divorce a complete stranger before she can marry the man she loves. The quirky premise, while a solid foundation for a fun caper, is ultimately undone by a narrative that feels too familiar and safe.

Diane Kruger is delightful in the central role, showcasing a comedic talent that is both sophisticated and endearing. Her chemistry with co-star Dany Boon is palpable and provides the film's most engaging moments. However, the plot unfolds exactly as you would expect, with every twist and turn visible from a mile away. The film relies heavily on romantic comedy tropes, delivering a series of predictable misunderstandings and heartfelt declarations that feel more obligatory than earned. It's a beautifully shot and acted film that plays it far too safe.

Is it worth watching? Yes, for a light, feel-good romantic comedy, but don't expect anything new.

Far from it actually. Unless we're talking about the original plan. But even that wasn't perfect. Also telling the story does not actually make sense, seeing the context it is meant for. Unless the surprise at the end was planned. But it wasn't. Also deviating from the original plan as Diane Krugers character does, is kind of a major fail. It's a general problem if you just start to think a little bit, nothing in this movie should work.

But I still had fun watching it. Because I decided that I didn't care, that it didn't make any sense at all. The movie itself tries to cover it up by fast cuts and even faster speeches/dialog. The jokes rate is therefor a hit and miss parade. Still there is charm and there are some nice gems to be found, even though there are far better french comedies out there.

Lately the French have a kind of patent on good comedies. Daniel Boon is very good in this role, we know him of Welcome to the North or Nothing to Declare and also in this movie he is superb. In Un Plan Parfait we have although some really absurd situations which let you laugh loud out. They are never disturbing and it is one of those movies that you laugh quite a lot, of course if you like the Daniel Boon movies. The 2 actors do the part of the beauty and the beast and the romance is total. I had a real good time with this movie and left the theater with a smile on my face and with a good feeling. The subject is absurd and the situations as well, so don't expect any reality in it. The jokes have a good setup and are not boring at all. Like I already said, the French have a good sense of humor, even when the movies have different targets like this one or the Intouchable. This movie cannot be compared although with the Intouchable due to the subject and contents of the Intouchable, which is quite serious and subtle.