French Fried Vacation

This movie is one of the most important comedy in France. Almost everybody in France know one or several sentences of it. If you want to make some joke with a French guy, you could try to learn some of the principal sentences of the movie and you could be sure that he will laugh. The movie is adapted from the stage, and the play was very succesful for many months. So, every shot have been studied to be hilarious. There are not at all any breaks. Of course, if you could understand French, I will advise you to see the French Version because the jokes could be not as good in English. In conclusion, I would also advise you to see the second movie from the same team: "Les Bronzes Font du Ski" which is at least as excellent as the first.

There are two sides to this movie: superficially it is an unspectacular comedy about a group of tourists spending their two weeks at a Club Med resort somewhere in Africa, or the West Indies or wherever. There is the underlying promise of sexual adventures, but they only materialise for the bored, toned and bronzed club entertainers, not the balding and paunchy guests.

Like an iceberg, the more important part of this movie is invisible, and lies in the incredibly fast-paced dialogues. It's French quipping at its best, and if you only so much as bat an eye you'll miss it. For this reason the French love this movie, and the rest of the world wonders what they're on about (this type of humour doesn't translate well or even at all). I saw an original French version without subtitles, and have to admit that most of it was too fast for me.

For this reason: if you're French -- you probably have seen this movie, and possibly even on this very day. If you're not French, you won't understand a dicky bird. This review is so pointless.

Les Bronzés is a cult french comedy, widely appreciated in France. It stars most of today's finest french comedians: Thierry Lhermitte, Gérard Jugneau, Michel Blanc, Josiane Balasko and Christian Clavier. I've just finished watching it for the first time, and it was as enjoyable as I expected to be. It's the sort of hilarious french comedy based mainly on sexually explicit dialogue and sex related jokes. The film is about young french singles and couples on a charter holiday in western Africa trying their best to be polygams, while getting some sun at the same time. Those who enjoy french comedies must see Les Bronzés!!

Great and wonderful movie. A cult movie for me, my friends, my family.. and all French speaking person I know. It is a must, but in its original French version... otherwise, better pass as it's all in the language and the twisted French culture. I Love it !! The acting is great, the script delicious and the jokes hilarious. The comedy is a little basic but so French that each French national may recognize themselves, or their neighbors. The sequel called "Les Bronzes font du ski" is even better but the initial one remain a must see of the French humor at least for the generation of the 80's. I personally watch it once a year with my wife.

Most of the reviews have already explained much of the plot, story, etc... so I'll take this in another direction: what its really all about.

While "Les Bronzés" is a comedy, much of it is based on real-life situations that actually happen and what goes on in these vacation villages. I know because not only did I grow up in France and understand their psyche, but I worked for the company parodied for a while.

From the attitude of the GOs, to the naiveté of the GMs, the goofy activities in the village to the sleeping arrangements - the nightly banquets to the evening shows - pretty much everything is portrayed spot on. And *that's* what makes the movie really funny. This movie is a classic in France.

Some of the humor will be lost in translation, however, the subtitles are pretty close to conveying the jist of humor when they cannot be accurately translated. It's a must see for any francophile looking for a good laugh. And if you liked this one, Thierry Lhermite is also in "Le Diner des Cons", which was just remade in Hollyweird as "The Dinner Game".