Assim é a Vida

What an amazing movie. Details, locations, conversations, all with a twist. Long time I had such a laugh in the movie theater. The title does not cover the movie at all. Myself I was a bit reluctant to go out and watch this, but hey this is a must-go-see for everybody who likes french humor, but not over the top.

"C'est la vie" is a hilarious movie, but also very french, which is both a great thing, as its humour captures very well some subtleties about the french, and a weakness, as some north-American critics may not appreciate these subtleties, as they aren't as "in your face" as often seen. But from a French pov, this is an absolute pleasure. First and foremost, Jean-Pierre Bacri does "du Bacri", and this from the onset. The laughs are loud, the control and pace perfect. From that point on, this great ensemble will carry the movie from surreal situations to absurd quid pro quo leaving the audience in tears from laughs and deeply satisfied. In days and age where everything is so serious, don't feel guilty to enjoy this joyful parenthesis.

What a funny - while subtle and sensitive film.

Under the guise of a posh wedding at a castle in France - where little goes as planned, the film takes aim at French society (in general).

Funny moments abound - from slapstick, to word play, to delightful chaos, to more subtle allusions. Knowing a thing or two about French humour, culture and society may definitely help one enjoy it even more.

Even if you don't know much about the French and their quirks, you may still enjoy the film and maybe develop a taste for their delightful tongue-in-cheek situations.

After the film ended (and I stopped laughing) I realized how multilayered and subtle the film was.

Warning: if you are into Hollywood stuff, you may NOT find this one up your alley.

This is really excellent, funny, intelligent, simple, hard, elegant as life can be sometimes and so french. The music by the great bassist and composer Avishaï Cohen give a magnificient, wonderful feel...Awsome..

Directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano had already come up with a masterpiece in 2011: LES INTOUCHABLES, brimming with joie de vivre despite the physical and social limitations of the two main characters, brilliantly played by François Cluzet and Omar Sy.

That same zest for life is present in LE SENS DE LA FÊTE, and certainly the acting is of the highest order once again. Were this an American film, and Jean-Pierre Bacri would certainly have received an Oscar nomination. His control over his party function team, his business sense, his perceptiveness of his troop members' moods, and even his occasionally deadpan moments render his performance sublime, possibly the most complete, subtle, and perceptive I watched in 2017.

There are many other performers in this film but that never detracts from the film's focus and all of them do an excellent job of raising this film to the highest levels of comedy, including two Indians from the Punjab who have some of the peachiest small parts I have watched in the recent past.

From the above, it is easy to conclude that dialogue is sharp and funny, as characters find themselves in all manner of laughable, embarrassing, sexy, unprofessional, and other situations. Perhaps the screenplay's greatest merit is that it keeps subtly misleading the viewer into believing that the outcome of a given sequence will be this or that - to be sure, you never get the pat solution!

Photography is excellent, especially the night shots and the sequence involving a balloon in flight. Soundtrack is very appropriate, never interfering, but always helping to give substance to the film.

Finally - please forgive me if I repeat my introduction - what a great job of directing!

This is one of the best, subtlest and most sublime comedies I have ever had the privilege to watch. I was really sorry to see the credits roll up at the end. and that's not what I feel about many movies these days.

Masterpiece - 10/10