«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 bourru, it doesn't matter. Yes, because we all know the song. After a What have we done to God? that made a mockery of 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 it's time for a deaf man to enter the rich man's life. A ridiculous deaf man whom no one understands, and who soon emerges as the fruit of one of Clavier's extramarital affairs. It's hard to laugh at this umpteenth French comedy based on nothing more than the adage «you can laugh at anything». Of course, any object is a potential laughing matter, but it has to be served up with taste, especially in the cinema. 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. It lacks 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; instead, we ended up watching a promotion of birthright citizenship.

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

Photo credit: © Ecran Large