Est-ce bien raisonnable? (1981)
Directed by Georges Lautner

Film Review

Written and directed by three French cinema legends with an impressive track record of turning out incredibly popular mainstream comedies - Georges Lautner, Michel Audiard and Jean-Marie Poiré - Est-ce bien raisonnable? ought to have been a sure-fire hit.  In fact, despite its authors' pedigree and the sublime casting of rising stars Miou-Miou and Gérard Lanvin as the romantic leads, the film hardly registered on its release in 1981 (its audience amounted to a paltry 0.8 million) and has been virtually forgotten ever since.  Even stranger is that it should be sandwiched between two of Lautner's big budget box office hits - Le Guignolo (1980) and Le Professionel (1981) - although the popularity of a certain Jean-Paul Belmondo may have had something to do with this.

Est-ce bien raisonnable? certainly pales in comparison with Lautner's gritty thrillers (Le Pacha, Mort d'un pourri) and his more exuberant comedies (Les Tontons flingueurs, Ne nous fâchons pas).  A much less showy affair, far less reliant on grandiose set-pieces, it shows Lautner making a good-natured but pretty half-hearted attempt to move into the rom-com arena, and with a better script he might well have had another hit on his hands.  Unfortunately, romantic comedy is not Audiard or Poiré's forte and whilst the film has plenty of humour it is somewhat lacking in real human feeling - although Miou-Miou and Lanvin make a determined effort to make up for this.

That said, there is much to like about this unpretentious little comedy - the cast for one thing.  Julien Guiomar and Michel Galabru can always be relied on to lift any middle-of-the-road comedy and do so yet again, knocking out Audiard's gag-strewn dialogue with the verve of a pair of demon bowlers.  Other distinguished cast members include the director's mum Renée Saint-Cyr (still a formidable screen presence in her mid-seventies), Jean-Pierre Darroussin (near the start of his illustrious career), Henri Guybet (a member of the Café de la Gare company in which Miou-Miou began her acting career alongside Coluche and Patrick Dewaere) and Dominique Lavanant (inexplicably non-credited).  With such an illustrious cast list, it is easy to be lured into watching Est-ce bien raisonnable?, and whilst the film may not rate as one of Lautner's best and is somewhat lacking in emotional depth, it isn't short on entertainment value.

Film Synopsis

After his arrest, small-time crook Gérard Louvier escapes from police custody by stealing the clothes - and identity - of a high-profile judge.  A journalist, Julie Boucher, mistakes Louvier for the magistrate she was hoping to persuade to look into the suspicious death of a man.  Realising that Julie is unwittingly presenting him with a ticket to freedom, Louvier takes advantage of her error and agrees to accompany her to her home in Nice.  His plan is to slip away at a suitable moment and join his friend Raymond in Italy.

Arriving in Nice, Julie's domestic life is proving to be more complicated than ever.  Not only does she have a philandering good-for-nothing boyfriend to put up with, she also has to endure the unwelcome attentions of a former lover who just will not go away.  It doesn't help matters when Julie realises that she has become strongly attracted to Louvier. It is at this point that she suddenly discovers her new friend's real identity...