When times are bad,
comedy is good. And a pair of goofy French comedies open today.
"Micmacs" is reviewed above, and in the same genre is "Let
It Rain," with Agnes Jaoui wearing three hats, as star, director
and co-writer with Jean-Pierre Baeri, who also has a major role as a
filmmaker who barely knows which end of the camera takes the picture.
There's plenty of absurdity in that, and in political campaigns
spiced with family and sexual escapades, just as they are in this
country.
Jaoui portrays
Agathe, a Parisian, successful writer and activist who is running
for political office in the small French town where she grew up. Her
sister, Florence (Pascal Arbillot), lives in the family home there
and is quite resentful of Agathe's success. Michel (Baeri) is
convinced that he can make a film for Agathe that will assure her
victory, and he convinces her to hire him. Michel has a sidekick,
Karim, whose mother, Mimouna (Mimouna Hadji) is an immigrant from
Algeria and who has been the family housekeeper for many years. Karim
also is filled with resentment because of his dark skin which, he
thinks, keeps him from any job besides night clerk at a seedy hotel.
Given all this
sturm und drang, it's amazing
that Michel and Karim can get anywhere on time, focus a camera and
acquire footage. They get lost easily, have car trouble, fail to
communicate and, basically, have not the foggiest idea what they are
doing. Some of the semi-slapstick is wonderful, and the work of
Bacri, wandering here and there with neither a script nor most of the
other necessities for movie-making, is hilariously incompetent.
There's
a lot of political argument, too, including a wonderful scene where
Agathe and the filmmakers, whose car has given up the ghost, get a
lift from some farmers who also give them an earful of their
difficulties. And in terms of sub-plots, we also have an affair
between Michel and Florence, a lot of preliminary fiddling and
flirtation between Karim and Aurelia (Florence Loiret-Caille), a
cutie who also works at the hotel. Oh, yes, Agathe and her long-time
fiance, alson are trying to sort out a relationship. Something for
everyone and fine work behind the camera by Jaoui.
"Let
It Rain" opens today.