C’est la vie! (Le sens de la fête)
(France, 115 min.)
Written and directed by Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano
Starring:
Jean-Paul Bacri, Gilles Lellouche, Jean-Paul Rouve, Eye Haïdara, Suzanne
Clément
Programme: Galas (World Premiere)
 |
| Courtesy of TIFF |
Thank goodness for subtitles. There was so much laughter at
TIFF’s Closing Night Gala presentation of C’est
la vie! that those of us in the audience might not have had a clue what was
going on without the aid of subtitles. Loud and consistent laughter rippled
throughout Roy Thomson Hall from beginning to end of C’est la vie! and often drowned out the French dialogue that had
TIFF-goers in stitches. This warm and hilarious comedy from directors Olivier
Nakache and Eric Toledano (The
Intouchables, Samba) was a
perfect choice to close a successful edition of the Festival. It's a lot of fun.
C’est la vie! offers a buffet of comedic canapés as Nakache and Toledano serve up a sprightly comedy that takes audiences behind the scenes of an extravagant wedding party. The boss of the operation is Max (Jean-Paul Bacri), a grumbling wet blanket who wants out of the event planning business after decades of pleasing couples at the compromise of his sanity. Everyone wants extravagant affairs and they want them on the cheap. This wedding, however, is a feast of opulence and excess that lets the master transform a French château into a mecca of marital bliss.
Nakache and Toledano deliver something akin to Altman for the
masses as the sprawling ensemble comedy introduces a peanut gallery of
characters who test Max’s patience but pull through in the end. Joisette
(Canadian actress Suzanne Clément), for example, gives Max a headache he doesn’t
need in the workplace when she shrugs off their long-time affair, which is the
worst kept secret in the workplace, and cozies up to a young waiter to make him
jealous. The front of house staff (Eye Haïdara) makes one “You should have seen
the look on your face!” joke after another and raises false alarms galore while
Max runs around putting out fires set by the motley crew. The DJ (Gilles
Lellouche) is a boorish performer who doesn’t exactly fit the groom’s direction
of “chic and elegant,” while the oafish wedding photographer (Jean-Paul Rouve)
spends more time scarfing hors d’oeuvres than snapping pics.
Everything that could go wrong does go wrong in this
energetic and madcap farce. An upstairs/downstairs dynamic keeps Max running
around the grand château like a lively fire fighter and conductor who douses
disasters while wrangling his musicians to deliver a memorable performance that
betrays not a hint of all the madness that occurs behind the scenes. A few
tricks of the trade show the event planner in his element, while also paying
tribute to the working class service staffs working tirelessly on their feet to
cater to the whims of clients who demand perfection.
Nakache and Toledano, consummate entertainers in their own
right, offer something for everyone in this light-hearted and accessible
comedy. This giddy portrait of the team behind the massive wedding party might
be warm and bubbly, but the filmmakers keep the jokes on the pulse of
contemporary France with political correctness getting a hefty skewering and
with the old stock Max finding some perspective in terms of how he treats his
employees and the women in his life. Nakache and Toledano continue to offer
diverse and inclusive casts that illustrate France’s multiculturalism, and
while there isn’t a breakout discovery in the cast in the way that The Intouchables launched Omar Sy as an
international star, they find a great ensemble of actors and characters who
work in perfect harmony to satisfy the audience. We’re in good hands and
company as Max and his team cater to our needs. C’est la vie! pours a fizzy flute of French champagne and keeps the
bubbles flowing.
Find more TIFF coverage here.
TIFF runs Sept. 7-17. Visit TIFF.net for more info on this year’s festival.
