La Vérité si je mens! 2 (2001)
Directed by Thomas Gilou

Film Review

With nearly eight million spectators and very favourable film reviews, La Vérité si je mens! 2 was by far the most successful French film comedy - and very nearly the most popular film - to be released in 2001 (in fact, it was just beaten at the box office by Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain).   Better written, better directed and better acted than the 1997 film La Vérité si je mens, this is a rare example of a sequel which is better than the original film.  Whereas the first film was a fairly average comedy-drama following the comic exploits of a group of working class immigrants, this follow-up is far more stylish and entertaining, benefiting from a more coherent narrative and far stronger characterisation.

The tone and quality of the film is set with the opening titles - a bizarre Arabic-style parody of the familiar James Bond credit sequence.  Although the film doesn't go all the way and attempt a thriller spoof, there are more than a few sly references to the celebrated Bond movies.   The film's central plot concerns a David and Goliath tussle between our heroes, Eddie and his chums, and the all-powerful clothing retail business, personified by the villainous Vierhouten (brilliantly portrayed by Daniel Prévost).   This story is interwoven with a second strand which sees the hapless but loveable Serge having an improbable love affair with a wealthy arts student, resorting to increasingly desperate schemes to find the money to keep up the fiction that he is a wealthy business man.  The film balances these two strands very effectively, skilfully bringing in additional subplots (such as Yvan having an affair with Dov's woman) to keep up the comic momentum.

Above all else, what most makes this such an entertaining and memorable film is José Garcia's engaging and energetic comic performance.  Rightly, he takes centre stage in this film and gets the funniest comic situations (which are just too numerous to list).  Relishing his role, Garcia has ample opportunity to show that he is not just a great comedian, but a fine actor.

Despite all expectations, the sequel to the somewhat bland La Vérité si je mens is rather a good film which appears to justify its positive press.  It broaches some serious subjects (such as the unscrupulous tactics of the big retailers) but manages to give these an entertaining comic slant without resorting to cheap humour.

Film Synopsis

In the face of ever increasing pressure from his competitors, Eddie Vuibert is having a hard job keeping his small clothing business from going under.  He knows that unless he can find a way to expand his business he risks being driven to the wall.  Help seems to be at hand from Vierhouten, the managing director of Eurodiscount, a large chain of supermarkets.  Even though his loyal friends Yvan and Dov have grave misgivings over getting into bed with such a large and powerful company, Eddie signs a contract with Vierhouten which he believes will not only stave of bankruptcy, but will also allow his own enterprise to expand and become a major player in the burgeoning off-the-peg market.

Yvan and Dov's worries turn out to be amply justified when Eddie's new partner begins stealing his designs and passing them off as his own, with the result that Eddie's own business is soon in even greater difficulty.  Meanwhile, Serge's own attempts to get rich quick are proving to be just as fraught.  By borrowing his cousin Patrick's expensive car he hopes to convince a wealthy heiress that he is much richer than he really is.  The deception soon gets out of hand and Serge finds himself having to raise a large sum of money to bail himself out.  His only hope is Eddie, who thinks he has come up with a crafty way of turning the tables on his devious business partner...