Ces messieurs de la famille (1967)
Directed by Raoul André

Film Review

Specialising mainly in the comedy-thriller line, Raoul André's output as a film director is fairly uneven, with some films likely to stand the test of time whilst others fade gently into obscurity, unwanted and unlamented. Ces messieurs de la famille would undoubtedly belong to the latter category were it not for the fact that it boasts one of the most impressive line-ups you could expect for a French comedy of this era. It's hard to see how a film offering the combined talents of Michel Serrault, Francis Blanche, Michel Galabru and Jean Yanne could go wrong, but André does his utmost to ensure that it does, by furnishing them with a shambolic script and failing to make the most of their humour-making potential.

The plot is a total mess (if indeed you can legitimately call it a plot), but there are enough weird comedy exercusions to make it bearable. The main attraction is Francis Blanche's truly bizarre portrayal of an Americanised German, looking and sounding like a comic book caricature of the great actor-director Eric von Stroheim.  Meanwhile, Darry Cowl's character, an avant-garde filmmaker whose work no one understands, has some obvious similarities with French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard.  One other very famous actor turns up right at the end of the film, but you have to watch the film to see who that is, because his appearance is probably the best gag on offer. If this film tickles your fancy, you may want to check out Raoul André's previous film Le Grand bidule (1967), which also features Michel Serrault and Francis Blanche and offers slightly more in the way of a plot but is just as silly. At least it's more palatable than the horrible Eddie Constatine vehicle L'Homme et l'enfant (1956), but not as enjoyable as some of the director's earlier work, such as Les Pépées font la loi (1955).

Film Synopsis

Gabriel Pelletier is the commercial director of a company that has a precarious future unless it can secure a partnership with Eric Strumberger, a wealthy American industrialist.    Gabriel's boss insists that he make a positive impression on Strumberger by inviting him to stay in his house.   There is just one problem with this plan.  Strumberger is a man of the most puritanical tastes and morals, whereas Gabriel's family is, to put it mildly, a wayward bunch.  His brother is an eccentric filmmaker with a taste for young women, his brother-in-law is an inveterate Don Juan with at least a dozen mistresses, and his daughter is the biggest worry of them all.  Sure enough, it isn't long before Strumberger becomes acquainted with the colourful underside of the Parisian bourgeoisie...