One waited with impatience the result of The Visitors after 18 years of absence, especially as one of the roughest for the past 23 years ! We had left Monsieur Godefroy de Montmirail (Jean Reno) and his squire Jacquouille la Fripouille (Christian clavier) in The corridors of time, where starts precisely VISITORS – THE RÉVOLUTION in 1793. We do not even talk about the u.s. incursion in 2001, Visitors, error of course. It is said that finally find this duo in THE VISITORS – THE REVOLUTION, it was especially the occasion to rediscover the pleasure felt then. Also, this critical will it be approached under the angle of the ingredients of this fun.
What worked and made us laugh in The Visitors, this was obviously the effect of surprise and humor jubilant caused by the shocks generational, cultural, and language. We pâme still hearing “That passed away, if I fade“, “I don’t know the fear” and “this is great menterie“, we smiled again to the other appropriations of the Twentieth century, “Okay“, “Diiiiingueu” and “night-day” and then it gets tired pretty fast with the new language element “Hooray ! It is more secular !”. The other cultural confrontation also wore on the stench and the dirt of our two protagonists. No disappointment on that side, since approximately 70% of the gags of THE VISITORS – THE REVOLUTION – inspired, without laughing, the putrid smell of their breath and their feet that need to support the revolutionaries. You see them grimace, faint, fan, open the windows, complaining. The dialogue writers have not violated with this comedy of repetition, which is definitely more funny.
The writers have made other attempts at comedy, which fall flat, as is already seen (bathroom, hum), is clearly to the side of the plate (looking for milk in Paris the night). They are, however, fun to slide, for aficionados, references to other films of the Band of the Splendid. Thus, it has a small glance at the food in The Bronzed are skiing, or to the bullet wound of The Father Christmas is a scumbag, but then again, is it useful to emphasize, in the least funny.
We had also liked the special effects of the transformation of the body of the hero who swallow the magic potion. Without a doubt, the director Jean-Marie Poiré and his co-writer (also co-producer) Christian clavier -have they found that these effects were overwhelmed in 2016, or have they just ran out of budget ? It will just be entitled to an unfortunate prosthesis with a goiter for one and a nose misery to the other at the mention of the putrefaction of their bodies, and the levitation of the witch.
Humor in link with the social relationship between Lord and Maraud is seen, beaten and hackneyed and makes us more smile. Even Godefroy and Jacquouille, force to wander in the labyrinths of time, have the air of being tired. The difference in class has been shifted to the relationship between noble – finally what’s left of it – and citizens of the Revolution. You will then be entitled to great phrases teaching on the new equality of all, and between men and women. No doubt, Christian clavier has worked his History of France, and highlights the salient features of its historical characters. He had to say that the kids who go to see the film will learn at least something.
“The pleasure of finding the two heroes of THE VISITORS – THE REVOLUTION is quickly dulled by the multitude of characters and the story without interest. It is more than time to get Godefroy and Jacquouille in them.”
All the scenarios of the first two movies were rather constructed, as it spins very quickly. As soon as the incursion in 1793, in fact. One has the impression that it is the casting or the requirements of the production to see the actor in this Revolution, which preceded the drafting of the scenario. Indeed, how can THE VISITORS-THE REVOLUTION derogate from this rule which seems to prevail in the comedies of the current, namely this desire to create a story around popular actors of the moment ? And Franck Dubosc (rather sober but bland compared to his recent films Bis, Full Board) interprets Gonzague, le p’tit p’tit p’tit fillot of Godfrey. He is the opposite of the courageous Beatrice Visitors original, it is rather a coward, but a progressive and lucid on his time. He stuck a younger brother, Robert, Alex Lutz off of which the registry at the cinema (Paris-Willouby) is decidedly the opposite of what he is capable of doing in the one-man-show. The writers have assistant a sister, Victoire-Eglantine, pretty rebel become, but whose character was not dug more than that. They have also developed a role of mother-in-law widow for Karin Viard, who was trying with more or less success, to comedies and to the languages outrageous (Lolo, 21 Nights with Pattie).
As you say that the adventures of this noble family and it does interest us much, not more than Godefroy. And that’s another pleasure lost in VISITORS – THE REVOLUTION : Godefroy le Hardi, who was so much of benevolence towards Beatrice, looking here her offspring with condescension and contempt. The presence that had Godefroy twenty years ago is no more, he is concerned that by his quest, and the vital urgency to return home, abandoning quickly that you put the Dauphin on the throne of the King beheaded. Even Jean Reno mumbles with a boredom undeniable, her lack of dialogues punctuated by too many “yes” uninviting.
Jacquouille is a lot better, it is the only one that we find with pleasure because it is also always a braggart, profiteer and in vengeance. We’ll spare you the details of its trade boredom and no interest with his own progeny Antoine-Claude Jacquouillet and the misunderstanding of his presence with a wave of uncle Ignatius.
There was to squeeze Marie-Anne Chazel : point of Dame Edna (and that’s a shame because we do not dare to imagine what she would have thought of this century). She played the concierge of the building of Jacquouillet, couple with the “Sarazin” Philibert (Pascal Does Zonzi, much better in what it has done to the good God?), that ascendeth out of the hot water for the bath of Marat (Christian Hecq) and cooking of the pudding for the terrorizing and incorruptible Robespierre (Nicolas Vaude). Because the pom-pom of THE VISITORS – THE REVOLUTION, this is the way the writers managed to serve us a bunch of revolutionaries in the building and at the same table of Jacquouillet who lives with Charlotte, called Lolotte, the unlikely sister of Robespierre (perfect Sylvie Testud).
As for the other secondary characters, the nobliau Lorenzo Baldini (Ary Abittan) and the mistress of Gonzaga Flora (Frédérique Bel) does not bring anything to the film, does not even value the other characters. This multitude of characters gives the circling, cries, is agitated, insults, slams doors. The noise is not filled unfortunately the vacuum left by the screenplay and the dialogues. Moreover, our interest is income as soon as the two heroes left the century of the Enlightenment. We will not say in what century they land, but the story opens up on a possible fourth installment, may be more promising, although useless a priori. Because it is more than time to get Godefroy and Jacquouille in them.
Our pleasure of a reunion was lost, then was lost as our two heroes, in the limbo of the past, no doubt distorted by the passage of time on memories.
Sylvie-Noelle
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