[.ca] La Chevre

A riotous French comedy:
Give Francis Veber a whole lot of credit. He's able to exploit the comic talents, latent or otherwise, of Gerard Depardieu as the straight man to Pierre Richard's fall guy (literally--Richard's character takes more pratfalls than one of our late presidents--the impeached kind--in a room full of old banana peels). As the Jonah to end all Jonahs, Richard teams up with Depardieu to find the daughter of French tycoon, kidnapped in Mexico. And she herself is subject to all kinds of misfortunes. Knowing this, the tycoon's head company psychologist theorizes that it takes a Jonah to find one, so suggests to his boss that Richard go to Mexico--accompanied by Depardieu's private investigator--to find the girl. Hilarity ensues. There are so many funny bits in here that it's hard to fault this comedy for any reason. Those of you not fond of the Marx Brothers and other zingy slapstick, steer clear. Those others who find wacko comedy refreshing and downright fun (like I do), dig in. This is right up your alley. Richard is perfect and Depardieu is equally great as his sometime patsy. Or should I say pratsy? Zingy, dingy, and the perfect antidote to the recession blues.

Good Silly Fun:
As a little girl I remember watching this film with my father (or should I say, watching him lose it over the silly antics of Gerard Depardieu and Pierre Richard). The movie itself has a fun and energetic plot, lots of silly twists and fine acting. I can't say I have watched enough French films to be an expert, but as comedies go, this one is a true gem. To those of you who are a little iffy about investing 26 dollars or so on this DVD, the hilarity involved is similar to Tom Hanks 1985 American remake "Man with one Red Shoe" of Pierre Richard's 1973 "Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe" comedy. Same kind of sillyness and rambunctious coincidences, etc. It's worth it! :-)