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Rire et châtiment
2003 Comedy / Romance
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Summary
Vincent Roméro’s skill as an osteopath is surpassed only by his talent for
entertaining his entourage. Outside of work, he devotes all his time and energy
to making people laugh – to the annoyance of his wife Camille, who finally walks
out on him. Vincent is at first unperturbed by Camille’s gesture, but he soon
begins to realise that something is wrong. For one thing, the laughter that his
antics provoke begins to kill those around him…
Review
For her directorial début, Isabelle Doval finds herself directing her husband,
José Garcia, in this dark comedy which explores the perils of self-obsession and
the nightmare of living with a larger-than-life personality (hence an autobiographical
element). Garcia is known for his hugely energetic performances and here appears
turbo-charged well beyond acceptable safety bounds. He is excessive, expressive
and funny, but the film doesn’t allow the sadder side of his character to develop
as fully as it should. Whilst there are a few moments of great comedy and some nice
artistic flourishes (notably the bizarre neo-noir dream sequences), the film just doesn’t
provide the kind of emotional journey we’re expecting. Doval shows great promise
as a director but there is a lack of narrative cohesion, and, despite some commendable
acting, the emotion just doesn’t come through in the end. Still, it’s
worth watching the film for the scenes where Benoît Poelvoorde gives lessons in
life saving to a clearly out-of-his-depth José Garcia.
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