Plot

Monsieur Hulot comes to a beachside hotel for a vacation and accidentally, but good-naturedly, causes havoc.

Monsieur Hulot goes on a holiday to a seaside resort, but accidents and misunderstandings follow him wherever he goes. The hotel guests' peace and quiet don't last with Hulot around, because although his intentions are good, they always turn catastrophic.—Leon Wolters <wolters@strw.LeidenUniv.nl>

The summer holidays have arrived and the bumbling Monsieur Hulot - along with everyone else - heads for the seaside. Hulot is something of an innocent. Pretty well everything he touches goes bad but he is oblivious to the havoc he creates everywhere he goes. Whether it be eating in the dining room, painting a boat or playing tennis, his life is an adventure for everyone around him.—garykmcd

As the first holidaymakers of the summer season flock to the nearest beaches, polite, well-meaning but maladroit Mr Hulot arrives in a sun-kissed Brittany seaside town in his rickety 1924 Salmson AL3. Courteous but invisible, pipe-smoking Mr Hulot is determined to make the most of his vacation, even though unusual incidents happen and things never seem to go his way. However, against the backdrop of comical pandemonium and a motley crew of tourists, a solitary blonde angel, beautiful Martine, has caught Mr Hulot's eye. Will Monsieur Hulot's holiday end with a bang?—Nick Riganas

It's the summer holiday season in Europe, and M. Hulot, like many others, has decided to spend his vacation at the French seaside, specifically at l'Hotel de la Plage resort. Quite often with a pipe in his mouth, Hulot is a pretty quiet fellow, but that still does not stop him from getting into a lot of trouble while there. Although he does get along with many of the other resort guests - such as the Englishwoman who is amazed at the effectiveness of his unique tennis style, or the beautiful Martine - most, unfortunately, must deal with the bad outcomes of his unintentionally bumbling, albeit good-natured, actions. On the most part, Hulot is unaware of what problems he is causing as he lives primarily in the moment of only what he himself is doing.—Huggo

Mr. Hulot (Jacques Tati) takes his summer vacation at a seaside resort along with a gaggle of tourists and their children. When Hulot arrives at the resort he goes about his holiday by relaxing, and attempting to make friends with the stuffy regular tourists who take their summer holiday there. What ensues is an episodic view of the way a sense of social class obstructs the free exchange of new ideas and people. Hulot meets the young blonde Martine (Nathalie Pascaud) and successfully interacts with her socially but because of her class ties, she is barred from any real future. Hulot himself is classless and seems to only be able to find companionship at a funeral, but he maintains his positive view of life in spite of being relegated to sitting with the children on the beach.