Jamel Debbouze

Astérix aux jeux olympiques [Asterix at the Olympic Games] (2008)

Astérix aux jeux olympiques [Asterix at the Olympic Games] (2008)

ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

(On TV, November 2019) There were four live-action movies based on the Asterix comic books between 1999 and 2012, and there’s a fair case to be made that Astérix aux jeux olympiques is the worst of them. Sure, the first film had some issues in terms of how to integrate comic book exaggeration in a live-action setting. But the script was generally serviceable, and that’s more than we can say about this third instalment. The most fundamental of its mistakes is to make an Astérix and Obélix story in which both main characters are supporting players in another plot having to do with fairly minor characters. The detour to Greece for the titular Olympic Games is (in keeping with the original comic book) an excuse to parody the modern Games, but they keep adding more subplots that have little to do with the putative heroes of the film. Much of the film is spent wondering when we’ll ditch the useless characters and go back to the lead duo. The chariot race that composes much of the third act does bring some much-needed energy back into the film, although that’s not a constant—whenever you puzzle over some lame joke, scene or one-off character interrupting the flow of the action, head over to the film’s Wikipedia page and you will realize that you’ve just seen a celebrity cameo from someone you’ve never heard of as a future viewer hailing from a future distant enough from 2008, which is already starting to happen in 2019. But Astérix aux jeux olympiques keeps the worst for last, as rather than wrap things up neatly with a quick banquet scene, it drags on for another 5–10 minutes for the sole purpose of bringing back an annoying character from the previous film (played by infamous showboater Jamel Debbouze) as well as other celebrity cameos. Enough. By that time, we just want it to be over. The special effects are better than the previous film, but not used judiciously or even tastefully. The direction isn’t particularly strong, and while it’s fun to see French-Canadian Stéphane Rousseau in a leading role, the amount of screen time he gets is an issue when the main characters of the series are sidelined. At least Clovis Cornillac and Gérard Depardieu are not bad as Astérix and Obelix, with no less than Alain Delon as Julius Caesar. Still, there’s not enough to offset the tremendous waste that is the misguided script and the overindulgent execution.

Sur la piste du Marsupilami [HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami] (2012)

Sur la piste du Marsupilami [HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami] (2012)

ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

(In French, On TV, July 2019) I was looking forward semi-reluctantly to Sur la piste du Marsupilami. Adaptations of beloved French-language comic book series have been hit-and-miss so far, especially when tackling comedy-based series—the humour doesn’t always translate so well, and sometimes the material feels hostage to the filmic sensibilities of the time. On the other hand, Spirou was among my top comic-book series when I was young (something helped along by the versatility of the series), and the Marsupilami was one of my favourite characters from that series. I can’t recall most of the albums I read as a kid, but Le nid des Marsupilamis was something else. In any case, this 2012 movie adaptation retains the marsupilami and nothing else—the story becomes a comedy featuring writer-director/star Alain Chabat as well as comic superstar Jamel Debbouze as, respectively, a reporter urgently looking for one last scoop, and a small-time hustler with his own issues about the mythical marsupilami. This being said, there’s a lot more to the plot, including a rejuvenated botanist, a Céline-Dion obsessed dictator and a prophecy from the local natives. The humour is certainly hit-and-miss, at its weakest in kids-friendly silliness and at its strongest when most absurd. (The prophecy itself is hilarious, although everything sounds funnier when it’s narrated by as attractive an actress as Liya Kebede.)  The film, obviously, rests on the success of portraying the marsupilami on-screen, and here at least it succeeds well: The marsupilami is full bouncy CGI, with practical effects used for his interaction with objects and characters. Much of the classic comics gags are there (including the tail bunched up in a fist) and even more. The result is fine—even though the number of predictable or simplistic scenes far outnumber the inconsistent flashes of genius found here and there. Géraldine Nakache and Lambert Wilson also do nicely in their respective roles. Keep watching the credits—in addition to a singalong and a rather fantastic solo dance number, there are numerous gags sprinkled in the text of the credits themselves.

Angel-A (2005)

Angel-A (2005)

ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

(On DVD, February 2012)  The most remarkable thing about Angel-A is how atypical it feels when compared to the rest of writer/director Luc Besson’s filmography.  You’d have to dig back to the eighties (past the most recent bad action movies and older better action/SF films) to find something like it, perhaps The Big Blue.  Angel-A begins by showing small-time hustler down and out in Paris, about to throw himself off a bridge.  But then!  A mysterious woman appears and forces our protagonist to take control of his own life.  The rest of the film unfolds as a black-and-white dream set in picturesque Paris, as protagonist and guardian angel solve their problems and fall in love.  Plot-wise, it’s thin.  Visually, however, it’s absolutely gorgeous: The black-and-white cinematography is nearly perfect at capturing Paris at its most inspiring, and the fairytale atmosphere helps a lot in establishing Angel-A‘s own reality.  In other hands, it could have been a pretentious art-house mess.  In Besson’s grip, however, it turns into a relatively entertaining piece of ambitious popular cinema.  Hardly perfect, no: the plot contrivances are numerous and those who think Besson can’t quite write female characters will have more material to consider here.  Jamel Debbouze, far better-known as a comedian, is a bit of a revelation here as the pathetic protagonist.  Unfortunately, Rie Rasmussen isn’t the best choice as Angela; her delivery (in her third language) is mealy-mouthed and her physique doesn’t add that much to the film.  Still, Angel-A is a remarkable piece of work for its cinematography alone; Besson fans and detractors owe it to themselves to have a look, if only to show that he can do something else than dumb anti-establishment action-comedies.