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Once upon a time--1967, to be precise--Danish director Jørgen Leth released The Perfect Human. In The Five Obstructions, fellow countryman Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves) challenges his "hero" to remake the short five times and provides a different set of "obstructions" for each. Because Leth likes cigars, von Trier suggests the first be made in Cuba. For the second, however, he sends Leth to "the worst place on earth"--Bombay's red light district. The obstructions keep coming, interspersed with conversation and clips from the original film, in which actors engage in a variety of activities, like eating and dancing, while the narrator posits oblique questions like "Why is joy so whimsical?" (Von Trier claims to have watched it "at least 20 times.") In the end, the two Danes have whipped up an unclassifiable concoction that plays less like documentary and more like a duel between friendly adversaries. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (7)

"I didn't expect her to be so cunning."
Once a week, on Wednesday nights, Pierre Brochant (Thierry Lhermitte) and his circle of snobby friends host an "idiot dinner." Each participant is supposed to invite a guest--the biggest idiot he can find. The object is a sort of idiocy one-up-man-ship as the hosts spend the evening encouraging the guests to talk about themselves and their obscure hobbies (one guest, for example, has a boomerang collection). The "idiot guests", of course, have no idea why they're invited, and they are delighted to find an interested audience. These guests then unwittingly provide the entertainment for the hosts, and the hosts' collective sense of superiority is re-enforced.

On this particular Wednesday, Brochant can't find an idiot, but he's tipped off about a certain Monsieur Pignon (Jacques Villeret), a jovial mild-mannered tax official--whose obsession is replicating national monuments by building models composed of matchsticks. Pignon's crowning achievement is a replica of the Eiffel Tower (346,422 matchsticks). So Brochant invites a delighted Pignon to the dinner. Complications arise, however, when Brochant injures his back and cannot attend the dinner. With Brochant trapped and housebound, Pignon is unleashed into Brochant's life. Pignon proceeds to demonstrate his idiot potential by his kind but bumbling blunders. Mishaps involve a zealous tax inspector, a disgruntled mistress, a distraught wife, a discarded ex-lover, and a wealthy Lothario with a secret love nest.

"The Dinner Game" is a perfect French comedy. It was originally a play, and you'll get the sense of that as the action takes place. Timing and execution are perfect. Some of the film is laugh-out-loud funny, but the amusement never loses its momentum in this perfectly paced film. The cast is excellent, and part of the humour is derived from the layers to fun to be had here. Sometimes two characters giggle at the misfortune of a third, but then, before too long, the focus of the humour shifts attention and discomfort to another character. The film doesn't miss a beat. If you enjoy French comedy, don't miss "The Dinner Game" from director Francois Veber. If you enjoy this film, I also recommend another Veber film, "The Closet"--displacedhuman.

You'll laugh so hard you just might mess your pants...
...it's that funny! And yet, as mobby_uk observed, there is a poignancy underneath it all. Some are put off by the premise, a dinner that is a competition to see who can bring the most ridiculous guest. Don't be. It's an ugly idea but a deeply humane movie. Jacques Villeret's portrayal of François Pignon is side-splittingly wonderful, hilarious and touching. And writer/director Francis Verber, who also had a hand in writing La Cage aux Folles, is an international treasure.

A very funny movie
I laughed so hard while watching this movie. A man invites a stranger to dinner, who he believes to be an idiot, so he can entertain himself and laugh at the idiot. Little by little, the idiot ruins the intelliegent/rich mans life, and one is not sure who the real idiot is. This is the kind of movie that could be real bad, but the actors have perfect timing and all the jokes work.

One other comment- for those learning French. I have been buying movies made in France to improve my speaking and listening skills. This movie is excellent for learning French, the words are the ones I studied using the first 26 lessons of "French in Action". Many of the common words begenners learn are repeated in this movie and are easy to understand.

The DVD is excellent. The colors are bright and rich and everything is crystal clear. I wish more DVD's had the same quality as this one.

It's more than I expected.
First, you will laugh. Then you will laugh more. At some point, you will feel the anger of Pierre Brochant and say to yourself, "I have enough of this idiot!" The next minute, you will be stomping and slapping, and laughing again. You just don't know what will happen, or should I say what will go wrong!?

It is silly, but entertaining. Definitely a keeper!

The Funnniest movie I've seen.
I can't say enough about this movie. I laughed so much, it's truly a side slapping movie. It's the funniest movie I've seen in years. Rush out and buy it or rent it because you will laugh till you drop. ... Read more

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French humor, which isn't exactly subtle, is delivered via an especially broad premise in The Closet. A nebbish (Daniel Auteuil) who works at a condom manufacturer learns he's about to be fired; with the help of his neighbor, he pretends to be gay so his boss can't fire him without seeming prejudiced. Then a bigoted coworker (Gerard Depardieu) tries to worm his way into the nebbish's good graces because he's afraid of being fired. In the wrong hands, The Closet could be ham-fisted slapstick. What makes this movie truly delightful is the superb understatement with which every gag is handled; even the sight of Auteuil wearing a giant condom tip on his head has an impeccable deadpan grace. All the performances are excellent; Depardieu's smarm is particularly delicious. Each scene takes a new twist of social discomfort and befuddlement in this winning comedy. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (29)

M.Pignon Opens Closet: Funny French Comedy about Sexuality
You may not know the name of French director Francis Veber, and his funny French comedy "The Dinner Game" (1999), but if you are fond of comedy, you might have seen the films like "Father's Day" and "Birdcage." Yes, the last two Hollywood outings are actually remakes of his works, and though not all of his films are masterpieces, "The Closet" alone would make you remember his name. This film is that funny.

Daniel Auteuil is M. Pignon, who has been working for a condom factory as an accountant for 20 years, now he happens to learn that he is going to be fired. Shocked by the news, he thinks of jumping from the window to kill himself when an old man living in the next room gives a tip; "pretend you're gay." For political reasons (and commercial ones too) the company cannot fire him as they are afraid of being accused of having discriminating attitudes. It succeeds, and M. Pignon is happy ... for a while.

Because unexpected things happen like chain reaction; "sexual harrassment" from his beautiful female boss (she has her own reason), sexual advance from his co-worker and rugby coach (he has his own reason, too), and so on. The story goes on with twists and turns, finally leading to the confidence newly established in M. Pignon.

Though the ending is not as good as it should be, and some parts are a bit incredible, the cast is so great that those flaws are all ignored in the end. Daniel Auteuil's dead-pan humor is always effective, and funniest is his face when he is in a parade wearing a huge tip of condom on his head. Also humorous is Gerard Depardieu, whose character experiences a total transformation.

"The Closet" has some satire on our attitude about sexuality, but it doesn't preach them. Rather, the film handles them with a lighter tough, which avoids the pitfall of being too gloomy or philosophical. The fact is, the film is too light for some; and clearly the director hesitates to push some interesting points the film presents. But "The Closet" should be about M. Pignon, who, just like the protagonist of the same name in "The Dinner Game," is about Mr. Everyman. His journey to a new life is what we see, and we enjoy watching. As such the film succeeds, and it is because of fantastic Daniel Auteuil.

An intelligent and amusing French comedy
Francoix Pignon (Daniel Auteuil) is fired from his job at a condom factory after 20 years, but at the suggestion of his new neighbour, Pignon pretends to be gay in order to sue the company for prejudice. So they send doctered photos of Pignon expoing his derriere in a gay bar to his workplace. But instead of backfiring the plan works far better than anticipated: with Pignon gaining promotions at work, earning him the attention of a female co-worker (who is attracted to gay men) and helping to reconcile Pignon's relationship with his estranged son. All this leads his homophobic colleague Felix Santini (Gerard Depardieu) to befriend him in order to keep HIS job.
THE CLOSET is a low-key movie, lightweight yet amusing, intelligent and emotive as well, with great performances from Auteuil and Depardieu; especially during their "shower" conversation, which is a real classic. Well worth seeing, but not as good as writer/director Francis Veber's earlier fim THE DINNER GAME.

There's good and bad
The performances are excellent, especially Depardieu. There are some genbuine laughs, but as someone else pointed out, it is a one-joke film, and there are parts where it gets out of hand, or tedious or unbelievable. See it, but buy it cheap or rent it.

Hilarious but relevent to today's issues
Daniel Auteuil shines in this story of a man who risks losing his job but fakes his sexuality to keep his job. Gérard Dépardieu hilariously plays a man who goes mad as he falls for another man who he thinks is gay.

The setting is a condom making factory. You can only imagine.

A very funny film that reminds us why the French are progressive filmmakers! Now we know that they can make comedy, too!

Brilliant
Well constructed, funny, and a sublime social commentary. It took so little... coming out of a closet never entered that changed people's perceptions and behaviors in such strange and powerful ways. Using this to its benefit, the movie makes some strong statements in a hilarious fashion. Well worth watching! ... Read more

Reviews (37)

Laugh Out Loud - More than once
The Dinner Game is a movie not-based on an unfamilar premise: a group of snobby French men have a dinner to see who can invite the biggest idiot. The person who brings the biggest idiot to the dinner is deemed the winner. This concept has been done before however Thierry Lhermitte's take on this theme is done with class, spunk, and wit so much so that it will leave you enjoying every minute of this movie. This was the best *comedy* that I saw in 2000, period and is not slap-stick nor high-school comedy which has been popularized by American Pie and American Pie 2. People of all ages can appreciate this movie, even your mom or dad who are always doubting your taste in movies! :) I highly recommend you purchase or rent this movie.

A very funny movie
I laughed so hard while watching this movie. A man invites a stranger to dinner, who he believes to be an idiot, so he can entertain himself and laugh at the idiot. Little by little, the idiot ruins the intelliegent/rich mans life, and one is not sure who the real idiot is. This is the kind of movie that could be real bad, but the actors have perfect timing and all the jokes work.

One other comment- for those learning French. I have been buying movies made in France to improve my speaking and listening skills. This movie is excellent for learning French, the words are the ones I studied using the first 26 lessons of "French in Action". Many of the common words begenners learn are repeated in this movie and are easy to understand.

The DVD is excellent. The colors are bright and rich and everything is crystal clear. I wish more DVD's had the same quality as this one.

Ou Est L'Humanité?
I agree: there are some good laughs in this film, especially as it warms up after the first half hour. That said, it left me with a quibble and with a slight off taste.

First, the quibble -- unlikely to have bothered most people. The premise is that the snobs invite an idiot to dinner each week, but the film has a bit of an odd notion of where to look for idiots. Why does Pignon get picked? Because he has an obsession -- just like the boomerang man in one of the opening scenes. In Pignon's case, the obsession is making meticulous scale models of bridges, buildings, the Eiffel Tower... out of matchsticks. But weird hobbies and peculiar obsessions aren't the same as stupidity.

As it turns out, Pignon doesn't disappoint. Not only is he obsessed; he's also clueless. But that's where the off taste comes in. We don't have any sympathy for Pierre, the snob who invites Pignon to his house, but nonetheless, the movie puts the audience in the place of the would-have-been dinner guests: we get our laughs as much at Pignon's expense as from looking down on his host. There's one brief moment of humanity at the very end, but the screenplay immediately takes it back.

The reply, I suppose, is that it's a comedy, for heaven's sake! True enough; we aren't watching it to be edified. But the film would be cleverer if the audience got its own come-uppance.

Funny, really funny
Oh mon dieu! Ce film est tres drole! It didn't make me laugh the whole way through, but then again, no movie ever has. The plot concerns a group of stuck-up upper class french guys who get their kicks by trying to find the biggest idiot they can and inviting them to dinner. Once the idiots get together, the fun is watching them talk. As you can probably tell, these guys are not the nicest out there and they probably deserve their comeuppance (spelling?). Well, don't worry 'cause one of the rich guys, a publisher perfectly played by Thierry Lhermitte accidentaly throws out his back the night of an idiot dinner. (In French, un diner de con). His invited idiot decides it is his duty to stay and help Thierry since his wife seems to be absent...
What follows, not suprisingly is top-grade humor. Few actual punchlines are to be found, which is somehow even funnier. Just because you liked, say, American Pie (I did) doesn't mean you'll hate this, but I would recommend staying away from this if you've never laughed at anything but a poo-poo joke. For the record, I think the "Belgian" phone call is one of the funniest things I have ever seen along with the expression on the tax auditor's face when he finds out where his wife is.

SEE THIS MOVIE

Great Fun & Great for French Class
This film is absolutely fantastic! I would highly reccommend this movie if you enjoy intelligent comedy---and I certainly would reccommend seeing it before an American/English version comes out---a movie this good, you know they will try to remake it!!

P.S. If there are any French teachers out there, this is a great one to use for listening/comprehension exercise as well. It's rich with lots of first/second year vocab, and easily understood. And your students will be entertained as well! No moans or groans here!! ... Read more