[CRITICAL] THE PRICE OF SUCCESS

The price of success, the second feature film by Teddy Lussi-Modeste after the intense Jimmy River, takes us this time in the backstage of the one-man-show.

THE PRICE OF SUCCESS discusses the many sacrifices that a man, feeling the need to switch to the adult, should do. This man, this is Brahim / Tahar Rahim (Repair the living). It’s been ten years that it has drilled in the world of stand up. He drew the inspiration of his valves in his social environment, his origins and his observation of the evolution of the company. His family, which he pampers, is very present in her life. He bought him a nice house with a swimming pool, a sign many checks. His brother Mourad / Roschdy Zem (men of fire) is a sort of eminence grise and railway yard for Brahim. Everything goes through him : the time manager, manager, driver, body guard. But his behavior is no longer at the height of his role: he is often angry and causes for Brahim to be a great annoyance, and sometimes of shame. The world in which evolves Brahim is well brushed: brothers of music, the boys of the humor, the evenings with the business.

But Brahim is at a crossroads of his life stand-up comedian. It began to weaken and his creativity is at a standstill. He is aware of a changing world and the importance of its image through the social networks. He needs to renew, do not stay in the only humor communitarian, to professionalize, to pass into the Great Court. He quite understood that he needs new blood around him, and as he set foot in the stirrup in its infancy prevents fly higher.

His new girlfriend Linda / Maïwenn (My King) he offers this new life. Not only she looks like a man, but she advises as a stage director, a little in the way of the wife of Dany Boon , who works at his shows. Because it is known that the authors comedians are weak human beings, who often work in family and need to be reassured by their love and kindness. Linda presents him with a new producer Hervé / Grégoire Colin , with whom Brahim feels comfortable. It’s a bit like if he left the family business to start his own box, in the independent, a free man.

Of course, this transition will create chaos for Mourad, and to a lesser extent for his family, which will be difficult to remain objective. Working out of his past, but especially of the eyes that his own sticks to wear on him, will be a source of suffering. The director and his co-writer Rebecca Zlotowksi (Planetarium) did not hesitate in climbing.

 The concern with THE PRICE OF SUCCESS, it is that we can’t help but see in the watermark, the life of the hellion and drôlissime Jamel Debouzze, remembered that he worked with his brothers. Gold the game of Tahar Rahim is all-in modesty, or even transparency, without doubt, to counterbalance the banter of Murad. The director does the show ever really laughing, or even make people laugh, and his character is not convincing. In contrast to the interpreters of Mourad and Linda, for which the viewer feels empathy immediate. Their doubts, their responses and their love for Brahim are especially poignant. Despite the presence of many ingredients, it does lack in THEE PRICE OF SUCCESS a spark, a laugh, in short, this small supplement of soul, to make a poignant film.

Sylvie-Noelle

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