À boire (2004)
Directed by Marion Vernoux

Film Review

Whatever appeal this chaotic comedy has wears exceedingly thin after the first twenty minutes or so - in spite of its attractive cast and the fact that it was directed by Marion Vernoux, the director of such popular films as Love, etc. (1996) and Reines d'un jour (2001).  The main failing with the film is that little effort appears to have go into defining the main characters - all come across as dull, rather unsympathetic caricatures who just seem to have been randomly thrown into a story that has next to no structure.  The seemingly endless repetition of some pretty crass comedy routines doesn't improve matters.  Maybe this is one of those films that looks better after you have knocked back a few large measures of vodka...

Film Synopsis

Pierre-Marie Archimbault's chronic addiction to alcohol not only threatens his health and his personal finances, it is also putting in jeopardy his marriage and his career as a doctor.  The moment of truth comes one Christmas when, unwilling to put up with his drinking binges any more, his wife throws him out into the street.  Knowing that he must overcome his alcoholism before it completely destroys him, Pierre-Marie heads off to a ski resort for a long overdue holiday.  The vacation gets off to a bad start when the recovering alcoholic collides with Seb Abd Al Abbas, the worst skier in the world, and ends up with a severe head injury.  Seb gets off lightly with a damaged arm.  Inès Laure is also involved in the accident, and she seems to be as ill-fated as Pierre-Marie.  Her boyfriend has just walked out on her and left her with a parting gift she could well have done without - a hotel bill for 12,000 euros that she has no hope of paying.  Seb, Inès and Pierre-Marie are three strangers brought together by adversity and the mutual need to share a stiff drink.  Will they be able to help each other back up life's steep and slippery slope, or will they merely drag each other down even further...?