The unvited hitch-hiker subject is not new ; it may be treated as a thriller ,which Ida Lupino pulled it off with flying colors in her " hitch-hiker" (1953) .Here the driver is caught in traffic jam and "Bienvenue" could resemble Luigi Comencini's "l'Ingorgo " (1979),a brilliant comedy, although this latter work does not feature any hitch-hiker .
The director backs both horses :it's a comedy ,for the intruder never stops demeaning his driver, showing him how mean and wash- out he is ;one can wonder why,however ,the owner of the car does not get rid of this pain in the neck after two miles ; the lines lack focus ,intensity , and humor,almost always dealing with sex is ponderous ;directing is flat . Unlike Comencini 's "Ingorgo" ,in which madness knew no bounds ,this story is tame ,even though the director goes out of his way to make the hitch-hiker menacing..
For it's also a would be thriller :the man might be the convict who has just escaped ; sadly,Pierre Richard ,cast against type, would not scare a six-year -old .Martin Lamotte, as a failed writer (called "Placard " = cupboard)although smug and self-satisfied ,does not fare better .And I would not take his book even though it were given away for free.
It's a poor man's night road movie.
