Le Fils du Français (1999)
Directed by Gérard Lauzier

Film Review

The casting of two French cinema divas - Fanny Ardant and Josiane Balasko - is not enough to save this ill-conceived and poorly executed mishmash of comédie burlesque and action-thriller.  The refined Ardant looks horribly out of place in this kind of juvenile exploit in which Balasko is reduced to reprising yet again her highly caricatured display of working class femininity at its most vulgar.  Gérard Lauzier's direction is poor, but his biggest offence is his rambling, cliché-sodden screenplay.  This film is nothing more than a pale imitation of those popular French comedy adventure films of the '70s and '80s, such as La Chèvre.

Film Synopsis

After his mother's death, Benjamin has allowed himself to be tossed back and forth between his two grand-mothers, Anne and Suzanne, who inhabit two different social milieus and completely fail to see eye to eye.  Now nine years old, Benjamin tries to make himself indispensable to both of his reluctant guardians.  He helps Suzanne to cheat at poker, and keeps a close eye on Anne's spending.  Meanwhile, Benjamin's father Christian is away in South America, hoping to make his fortune.

One day, the boy receives an invitation from his father to join him in Brazil, and, ecstatic at the prospect of a long journey, he manages to persuade his grandmothers to accompany him.  On their arrival, they learn that the boy's father has already left the country and is on his way back to Paris.  The reason for Christian's sudden flight becomes apparent when some dangerous enemies of his show up unexpectedly and make an attempt to kidnap Benjamin.  The little boy's South American adventures have only just begun...