Des pissenlits par la racine

With De Funes at the threshold of stardom (1964 would also see him in the first of the Gendarme and Fantomas series as well as in Faites Sauter la Banque!), Darc already in it, and a mix of reliable veterans (Blanche) and future stars (Serrault), the actor lineup is outstanding. But what makes the movie even more outstanding is the dialog. Lautner and Audiard were at their very peak, also penning and directing Les Barbouzes and Les Tontons Flingueurs in that period - perhaps the finest dialog in post-WW II French cinema, on par (in the original) with the likes of Sweet Smell of Success or Some Like it Hot. The storyline (no spoiler meant here) mixes elements of gangster, con (wo)man and chase movies. The crossovers and recurrences (where is that body?) are hilarious. Like all movies of this kind, the ending poses a quandary for the writers, and this is done more than honorably in this case. The technical quality is not contemporary of course, and I presume the dialog will lose some of its flavor in most translations, but the storyline and the acting will make this a worthwhile watch in any language for those who appreciate 60's cinema.

To follow up on cheese_cake's review: the title refers to the dead and buried ("eating dandelions by their roots"). It is a paraphrase of the title of the novel from which the movie's writers started. Of course, the title is also playful: the body of interest in the movie, dead though it may be, isn't that static; some of those chasing it, however, fear that they will end up pushing up daisies indeed.