«Momo»: bad, bad...

Cinema Wednesdays - Jonas Follonier

In the comedy Momo, in theaters since December 27, Christian Clavier once again takes on the role of a French bourgeois—bohemian or gruff, it doesn’t matter. Yes, because we’ve heard it all before. After a What have we done to God? a high-quality film that poked fun at cosmopolitan marriages and a With open arms Clavier's garden was invaded by Roma people, the new business venture of the famous interpreter of Jacquouille seems to be following a downward spiral.

Now, a deaf man enters the rich man’s life. A ridiculous deaf man whom no one understands and who will soon turn out to be the result of one of Clavier’s extramarital affairs. It’s hard to laugh at this umpteenth French-style comedy based on nothing more than the adage «you can laugh at anything.» Sure, any subject has the potential to be funny, but it still needs to be handled with taste—especially in the movies. The masterpieces Le dîner de cons or Cabbage soup may be French comedies with a "beaufude" twist, but they can't be seen as mere copies of "brèves de comptoir". There's an art to beaufitude.

Momo had potential. The irreplaceable Christian Clavier is joined by actress Catherine Frot, one of the most striking female figures in contemporary French cinema. Similarly, the theme of infidelity, though explored a thousand times over, still has a bright future ahead of it; it could have been handled with a certain originality, even in a classic style. Alas! It just doesn’t work. The film lacks pace. And humor. A few lines elicit snickers from the audience—which is, mind you, a full house—but nothing more. What a shame.

Aside from a few highlights—such as the tragicomic touch brought by Catherine Frot or the scene at the vet’s office, which deserves to be in a better comedy—the film in question is a letdown. And this disappointment is capped off by an unbearable happy end a half-hour-long scene that the audience saw coming from the very beginning, leading to a sickeningly saccharine moral that actor Clavier doesn’t believe for a second. We came to laugh; in the end, we’re treated to a promotion of birthright citizenship.

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