Gregoire Moulin vs. Humanity (2001)

Our protagonist's life does not begin well, as a baby his parents fight and end up suiciding jointly over the balcony of their apartment. He is then brought up by an equally obnoxious aunt/uncle, so once he's an adult he moves to Paris. He works in an accountant's office for a moronic boss BUT he spies a gorgeous lady teaching ballet in the studio across the road from his office. He 'steals' her wallet and then phones her to return it (a muse to try and get a date) ... it all goes terribly wrong.Not a big fan of comedy, I must say but this was absolutely brilliant. All set against the backdrop of Paris versus the Bretons in a soccer (football) final. There are some outrageously odd sight- gags, including many that are set in the background. Really worth backtracking and watching this for a second time when you're finished. Brilliant, love it, hilarious.

I generally hate French movies (for reasons I would not like to state here) but this movie made me think twice and revise my attitude towards French movies. From now on I will bear and watch at least 10 minutes before I dismiss a French movie.This was a comedy which was incredibly funny. I will not spoil anything I would just say I would rate it in the first 50 comedies of all times.Also I like the fact that reality is combining extremely well with a little bit of fiction or just with exaggeration which makes the movie the more salty. Acting also extremely good.I will not say more because there's nothing to say about such a film: you just have to watch it.

I caught this film by accident during a bout of insomnia and thought it side-splittingly funny. Reminded ever so slightly of "After Hours", a Martin Scorsese black comedy where a young man goes out one night and endures a series of misadventures before turning up in a full body cast at his office next morning. This, however, is lighter, funnier and definitely more entertaining as Gregoire gets into some far fetched but equally dangerous situations when everyone around him seems to be on drugs, armed and dangerous. These include a taxi driver whose German Shepherd takes the wheel. A few of the incidents could happen and have happened to all of us, such as the attempt to get photo copies or a call for telephone information form a coin operated call box.

If I had to give my opinion about this movie, I would say this: it is the meeting between "Amélie Poulain" (2001) and the Podalydès brothers' cinema. A shy and unassuming man would like to charm a woman, Odile. For this, he stole her wallet so as to arrange a date with her. She accepts. But what Grégoire doesn't know is that a series of unexpected events and disasters will turn his night into a nightmare. As we can see by reading this summary, the story rests on comparatively classical bases and Artus de Penguern (both the director and the main actor) told it with a zany and fanciful humor that gives birth to whacky comical situations. The meeting of two peaks of the French cinema (I must however admit that although I'm not very fond of "Amélie Poulain", I enjoy the Podalydès brothers' films) should give an entertaining success. But however, the movie doesn't work. All right, the comical sequences follow on from each other without injury times. All right, the presence of dreamlike sequences enables to lighten the movie (when Odile identifies with Mme Bovary). In another extent, through Grégoire's trouble, we can detect a caricature of French people who are (a little too) fond of football. A passion that can lead them to madness. The mayonnaise isn't thickening because there is too much ponderousness and not enough subtlety in Penguern's style. Because of this irritating fault that harms the film, it is difficult to laugh honestly and Odile should have crossed the street to reveal her love for Grégoire from the beginning. This latter wouldn't probably have known so much trouble...This clumsy film was Penguern's first movie. Maybe, will he improve his style in next movies in the future.