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Credits
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Summary
Edith and Paul Guetz are so happy with the birth of their son Tanguy that they promise
he can live with them forever. Twenty-eight years later, Tanguy, a cultivated intellectual,
is still ensconced in the family home – and his parents can hardly wait to see the back
of him. When Tanguy reveals that it will be at least another year before he can
complete his doctoral thesis and start looking for a full-time job, Edith’s nerves finally
give way. She persuades her husband that the time has come to drive their
stay-at-home son away, by whatever means possible...
Review
After La vie est un
long fleuve tranquille (1988), Tatie Danielle (1990) and Le
bonheur est dans le pré (1995), director Étienne Chatiliez offers
yet another dark, satirical portrait of family life in Tanguy. The film’s
subject is one which an increasing number of middle aged parents will identify with as
the “Kangeroo Generation” (to quote one French weekly new magazine) becomes an increasing
social phenomenon. Whereas previous generations of children born after WWII were
all too glad to break away from their parents, those born in the mid-1970s onwards seem
increasingly unwilling, or unable, to stand on their own two feet. As Tanguy
implies, there are a whole host of reasons for this – there is the financial factor certainly,
but young people are also far more emotionally dependent on their parents than previous
generations may have been. And this is in spite of the fact that young people seem
to mature more quickly than ever before.
Although there is much that Chatiliez could have made of this social situation he really only uses it as a vehicle to entertain us with his black comic wit. Tanguy is first and foremost a comedy in the traditional vein, with exaggerated comic situations, over-the-top comic performances and none-to-subtle characterisation. Although somewhat less sophisticated than Chatiliez’s earlier films, Tanguy still manages to entertain and has an unusual cinematic style which gives it at least an aura of originality. The frequent oriental references are part of the film’s charm but do seem strangely incongruous and overused, being scarcely justified by a short sequence at the end of the film.
It is certainly a treat to see Sabine Azéma
and André Dussollier in a popular comedy, even if their performances merely emphasise
the obvious caricatured nature of their roles. However, the film’s star is Eric
Berger who, in his first major film role, is perfectly cast as the unintentionally nauseating
Tanguy. As ever, Chatiliez has no difficulty dividing our sympathies between his
principal characters – here, the mild mannered son who unconsciously exploits his parents’
generosity and the scheming parents who will resort to any means to rid their home of
their tiresome charge.
© James Travers 2004
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