Nos jours heureux (2006)
Directed by Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano

Film Review

Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano followed up their entertaining debut feature Je préfère qu'on reste amis (2005) with this equally enjoyable film, which is an all-out assault on a great French institution, the summer camp for children.  For those who have yet to be acquainted with this quaint but fairly despicable French custom, a summer camp is a kind of prisoner-of-war camp or gulag in which parents happily dump their troublesome offspring in the early summer months so that they can have two or three weeks of unbroken calm before being subjected to the nightmare that is the annual family holiday.   In this film, Nakache and Toledano capture perfectly the spirit of chaos and angst that prevails in such a summer camp, portraying a colourful slice of French life which, thankfully, few of us ever have to live through. The film's title is intended in a very ironic sense.

Whilst much of the humour in this film will be lost to anyone outside France, it is still well worth seeing, if only for Jean-Paul Rouve's magnificent portrayal of a man struggling, against all the odds, to maintain order in a Universe that is clearly on the point of imploding, and with the destructive power of a super nova.  Structurally and stylistically, the film is a mess, but for once that hardly matters.  Nakache and Toledano's anarchic style suits this film perfectly, with the team showing a natural flair for observational comedy.  It is worth adding that their brand of political incorrectness feels like a genuine breath of fresh air - comedy is always more appealing when it wears an honest face.  Whereas many inexperienced filmmakers can't help accidentally peppering their films with clichés, these two guys do it deliberately, always with a clever twist which transforms the cliché into a brilliant gag.  Nos jours heureux is the perfect antidote to all those soppy, toe-curling films about children on their summer holidays, although it will do little for summer camps hoping to recruit staff.

Film Synopsis

A glutton for punishment, Vincent once again sets out for another stint at a summer camp for infants.  This year, his anxieties are multiplied tenfold, since he has been promoted to camp director, which means he will carry the can if anything goes wrong.  His worries are hardly eased when he meets his staff of supervisors - they appear to be as undisciplined and as dysfunctional as the children they will have to look after.  Sure enough, it isn't long before Vincent's well-ordered plans get trodden into the ground.   If the vicious little monsters from Hell that go by the name "children" do not make Vincent wish he was back home, the brewing discontent among his colleagues soon begins to have that effect.  Add to that some awful weather and a chef who has some very odd ideas about what children can digest and it looks as if things can hardly get any worse.  Oh, but it can...