September 1, 2010
M. Hulot is like a really nice Mr Bean. Jacques Tati was one of those tall, lanky comedians, like John Cleese, who use the whole of themselves in their comedy. In this film his alter ego, the gently unlucky Monsieur Hulot, goes on holiday to a quiet French seaside town, where he causes very mild havoc.
There is almost as little dialogue as there is plot, but Tati was an earnest scholar of funny noises, and the noise that the dining room door in his guest house makes every time it is opened is worth watching this film for even by itself. The fold-up boat scene isn't bad either.
You have to be in the right mood to enjoy this. It's so very different in pace from most mainstream films now. But if you are prepared to settle down and relax for a couple of hours it is one of the funniest movies ever made. It's certainly the only film that's ever made me actually fall off a chair laughing.
There is almost as little dialogue as there is plot, but Tati was an earnest scholar of funny noises, and the noise that the dining room door in his guest house makes every time it is opened is worth watching this film for even by itself. The fold-up boat scene isn't bad either.
You have to be in the right mood to enjoy this. It's so very different in pace from most mainstream films now. But if you are prepared to settle down and relax for a couple of hours it is one of the funniest movies ever made. It's certainly the only film that's ever made me actually fall off a chair laughing.