by Annette Basile
Worth: $11.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Laurent Lafitte, Élodie Bouchez, Laure Calamy, Ramzy Bedia, Noée Abita, Sami Outalbali
Intro:
... black humour can be delicious, but here, it just leaves a bad taste.
French cinema usually excels at cutting commentary and biting comedy about class and social hierarchy. From classics like Jean Renoir’s war drama, The Grand Illusion, through to comedies like Priceless and Madame, the French have always been right on the money. Until now …
The Party’s Over! may follow the tradition, but this dark comedy is a considerably lesser offering. It revolves around two families – the wealthy Trousselards and the working-class Azizis. Set in the south of France, the scenery is gorgeous at the Trousselards’ holiday villa, but the family has more money than taste – witness the questionable artworks on the wall, which are a running joke.
Lawyer Phillippe Trousselard (Laurent Lafitte), his faded star actress wife Laurence (Élodie Bouchez), their wannabe actress daughter Garance (Noée Abita), and her working-class boyfriend Medhi (Sami Outalbali) are set to enjoy the Mediterranean sunshine when conflict strikes with their long-time caretakers, the Azizis, who live in a modest home on the sprawling property.
Philippe is a painful snob, endlessly dropping Latin quotes and looking down at Tony Azizi (Ramzy Bedia), his plucky wife Nadine (Laure Calamy) and their young adult daughter Marylou (Mahia Zrouki). When Philippe tries to apologise over an incident by gifting Marylou a mobile phone for her 20th birthday – a much fancier device than the basic refurbished model that her father had given her – it’s the last straw for Tony, who drunkenly storms into Trousselards’ villa and creates havoc.
Things then get complicated, money is involved, and Medhi – a recently graduated lawyer – thinks he can sort things out for his girlfriend’s family because his working-class background will theoretically help the Azizis relate to him.
As Phillippe, Lafitte does a decent job of portraying a rich man with no self-awareness but Bouchez, as his wife, is the comedic star of this film – witness the quietly hilarious way she does Tai Chi by the pool. Outalbali’s Medhi is the most likeable character here, but even he appears to have an agenda.
The initially light, funny comedy from director Antony Cordier turns dark and unfunny as things progress. It starts to feel stretched and pointless the further the class war escalates, and it loses the appealing playfulness that underpinned the first half of the film.
Sometimes black humour can be delicious, but here, it just leaves a bad taste. If this film says anything about society, it’s that self-interest cuts across the classes.
