«Everybody stand up for Franck Dubosc!

Cinema Wednesdays - Jonas Follonier

In this new French comedy, the famous Franck Dubosc plays Jocelyn, a wealthy businessman leading the life of a Don Juan, and above all a liar. «I'm not tempted to fuck while being myself. Such is the life philosophy of a rather ridiculous and despicable man. His best friend Max (Gérard Darmon, excellent) is quick to point this out. »You're really crazy,« he says wearily, as he listens to the manipulator's new stories. Jocelyn's new idea? Pretend to be a paraplegic, in order to win the pity and therefore the love of another disabled woman. The latter is played by the excellent Alexandra Lamy, who reveals all her dramatic potential here.

A comedy that's funny in every way

It's getting rarer and rarer to find a good comedy in French cinema - or in cinema at all, for that matter, since there have only ever been good French comedies. Often, our state is that of the nostalgic, regretting the perfection of a cinema so simple and yet so funny... that of Louis de Funès and company. And yet, this film is a successful comedy.

It goes without saying, but it's worth remembering, that Franck Dubosc's eyes are there. His funny, blue eyes. Just looking at him is enough to make you laugh. Then there's the subtle treatment of cliché characters: the moronic secretary, played by a hilarious Elsa Zylberstein; the homosexual friend; the senile old father; the uncultured garage owner. There's something in the film's approach that viewers can intuitively detect, proof that mockery is synonymous with tenderness in Dubosc, unlike other filmmakers today.

Dubosc locked in character

The film's success is also due to the second meaning it suggests. Indeed, a link between the real Franck Dubosc and the character he plays seems worth mentioning here. Locking oneself in characters, in a character, isn't it the story of Dubosc himself? As Yann Moix pointed out on the TV show «On n'est pas couché», Frank Dubosc originally wanted a career in drama. Comedy came along by chance, and the success was immediate. From then on, it was hard not to continue in the same humorous vein. Even if it meant locking himself into a role.

The difficulty of being oneself, and of stepping out of one's self-made persona, therefore seems not only to be good comic material, but also, like all good comic material, tragic material, which is undoubtedly very important to the director. Getting out of one's chair: what a symbol! Moreover, beyond the deeply moving dimension that emerges from this analysis of Franck Dubosc, Standing room only is about truth, which is crucial for every human being. After all, aren't we all liars?

Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Ascot Elite Entertainment