What's Cooking in Paris

Halfway it goes from the setting of the title to becoming a car chase shootout action movie, this wiffs of them not having any more comedy to show and thinking this will be TOTALLY out of the box to wow audiences by doobydoobydooby tada, an action flick, WHOA. Yeaaaaah nooooo, either stick to the qualities of your own genre's characteristics to make it good, not just switchover to a different genre.

Another superb performance by 'Fufu', whose genius radiates throughout every scene, in a cult classic film, which dates back to an era when both French gastronomy and comedy were still at the height of what had made their greatness and their admiration all over the world.

9.9/10

Monsieur Septime (de Funès) is your (stereo)typical French restaurant manager...you know, the kind that perpetually inflates his own ego, disparages his employees and treats his patrons as royalty (unless, of course, they're German). While the film's plot is rather canned and disjointed, what makes this worth watching is Louis de Funès himself, one of France's most iconic comedians and expressionists. His uncanny ability to rapidly contort his face and externalize his character's frustrations effectively erase the issue of the language barrier on the film's humor, and is done so in a way that doesn't relegate it to the bottom shelf slapstick comedy. Though subtitles may be required, Le Grand Restaurant is a great first course introduction to the feast of funny from de Funès.

A cult comedy is from my point of view, a movie in which you can't remember all the funny moments and therefore, you are always happy to discover them again and again.

So, there, I knew that De Funes was a terrible, tyrannic boss of a great restaurant but his manners eluded me while they are really funny! He's truly the best actor in this field and beyond, a very talented one. As Al (Pacino), I feel that De Funes exudes humanity, compassion and class behind all his jokes…

In addition, as it figures among the oldest movies I saw, it was great to see Paris an half-century ago. Besides cars and trends, I feel that Paris was more "green" with trees than actually.

Unfortunately, when the main thing is served, the script becomes strange: a mix between Bond for the aquatic car and the Pink Panther for the winter sequence… We are far away of the restaurant!

In conclusion, great appetizers but the menu left me wanting for more!

Spending even a little bit of time with a Louis de Funès film is proof enough of what a comedic genius he was; to the extent that there is variation in quality, it's by a matter of degrees (and personal preference) rather than whole numbers. With de Funès having contributed to the writing in this instance in addition to starring the stage is readily set for a good time. Surprisingly, 'Le grand restaurant' is actually more restrained and straightforward compared to other works in the man's oeuvre: de Funès' wild expressions and gesticulations are deemphasized, the length is very heavy with plot, and in general gags and comedy tend to be reserved for major sequences rather than proliferate throughout. In fact, though played for laughs and lighthearted fun, I don't think it's unreasonable to say that this is built more as an earnest thriller. Whatever the style, however, the unquestionable truth remains that this is superbly engaging and entertaining, and rather deserves much more broad recognition.

Excise the sillier facets and the screenplay devised between de Funès, Jean Halain, and filmmaker Jacques Besnard could very easily have been shaped into a serious spy flick, the story of an ordinary person who is unwittingly drawn into a game of international intrigue. The scene writing, stunts, and effects are ripe for adventurous excitement as much as for comedy, and Besnard's direction and Raymond Pierre Lemoigne's cinematography both seem geared more particularly toward those sincere thriller ends, not least at the climax where the very filming locations are also primed for it. Yet with every element being wonderfully exaggerated and/or cheekily twisted, especially the characterizations, dialogue, and acting, the result is glad amusement rather than pulse-pounding fixation. Naturally de Funès stands out most as protagonist and beleaguered, demanding restauranteur Septime, but all his co-stars are just as splendid. And really, everything here is just as solid as one would assume of any contemporary fare - not just those stunts and effects, or the direction or cinematography, but also the sets, costume design, hair, makeup, and editing.

Probably owing to the difference in tone, however slight, this maybe isn't as immediately grabbing or as completely engrossing as the more outwardly farcical features among de Funès' works. Be that as it may it's thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish, handily achieving its simple goal of delighting audiences, and sometimes that's all a movie needs to be. One way or another this may not be an absolute must-see, but if you do have the opportunity to watch 'Le grand restaurant,' I really don't think there's any going wrong here.