Tout pour rien

René Pujol's only real claim to fame is to have directed Jean Gabin in his first feature film "chacun sa chance ";"tout pour rien" is his sophomore effort and it sets the pattern for the movies to come : coarse comedies .

"Tout pour rien" is enjoyable though ; Duvallès's part here is close to Fernandel's :the naive young man crooks can use as a cover ,but finally comes out a winner .

Jean is a minor public official in love with Suzanne ,but her mom ,the snob Mrs Bossu (=Hunchback) does not want him as a son-in-law ,for he does not make enough money.Françoise Rosay ,ideally cast as this bourgeoise ,is the only interpret who's still known today.

Mistaken for an agitator ,he is fired from his thankless job and becomes a professional ballroom dancing host ; he's not very handsome and his dancing leaves a lot to be desired ;the dancers have also to sing ,and when he chooses an interminable chanson réaliste ,he's booed off the stage .

He falls into the clutches of Landry (the obese Alcover) ,a crook who hires him as the manager of a big dime store called "tout pour rien" (all for nothing) with a fantastic wage .

But soon the police are hot on his heels and he has to escape, taking Mrs Bossu and her daughter along with him in his luxury car.

Harmless little comedy ,often funny.