In 1981, Francis Veber directed a smash hit film, "La Chèvre" (THE GOAT). While I will admit that the film at times was awfully silly and a bit dippy, there was something about the film that starred Pierre Richard and Gérard Depardieu that struck a chord with the audience. Their interplay was great and so once again Veber paired the two in a new film where they play different characters, though they act pretty much like they did in the previous film. However, this time, the film, though amiable, lacked much of the magic of the original film. Now I am not saying that this is a bad film--but it just doesn't work nearly as well as "La Chèvre".
"Les Compères" begins with a mother and father going to the police to get help in finding their runaway son. However, the police cannot guarantee quick action and the mother decides to use an evil scheme to elicit the help of two old lovers. She meets separately with Richard and Depardieu to tell them that the boy is actually their long-lost son that they didn't know even existed. This exceptionally cruel device works, however, and both set out to find their 'son'. However, they don't know that each is searching for a 17 year-old boy who can't be their son because he's only 15--and was fathered by the lady's husband.
Like "La Chèvre", Richard is a bumbler and makes a mess of most everything. Depardieu is tough and a man of action. Together, true to formula, they help each other to grow. They also manage to find the boy AND uncover a mob conspiracy. While the way the teen reacts to them and the mob plot offer a few surprises, the overall film offers none. As I said, it's formulaic all the way and ends pretty much like you'd expect. While none of this is bad, it's also a tad bland and inoffensive--the sort of film that is more of a time-passer than anything else. Fortunately, Francis Veber went on to do many wonderful and more satisfying films. And if "Les Compères" is among the least of his work, then that is a pretty good endorsement for seeing more of his films (such as THE VALET, MY BEST FRIEND and THE CLOSET).
By the way, this film's plot is very similar to the Gina Lollabrigida film BUONA SERA MRS. CAMPBELL--a film that is about as good and worth seeing as "Les Compères".
"Les Compères" begins with a mother and father going to the police to get help in finding their runaway son. However, the police cannot guarantee quick action and the mother decides to use an evil scheme to elicit the help of two old lovers. She meets separately with Richard and Depardieu to tell them that the boy is actually their long-lost son that they didn't know even existed. This exceptionally cruel device works, however, and both set out to find their 'son'. However, they don't know that each is searching for a 17 year-old boy who can't be their son because he's only 15--and was fathered by the lady's husband.
Like "La Chèvre", Richard is a bumbler and makes a mess of most everything. Depardieu is tough and a man of action. Together, true to formula, they help each other to grow. They also manage to find the boy AND uncover a mob conspiracy. While the way the teen reacts to them and the mob plot offer a few surprises, the overall film offers none. As I said, it's formulaic all the way and ends pretty much like you'd expect. While none of this is bad, it's also a tad bland and inoffensive--the sort of film that is more of a time-passer than anything else. Fortunately, Francis Veber went on to do many wonderful and more satisfying films. And if "Les Compères" is among the least of his work, then that is a pretty good endorsement for seeing more of his films (such as THE VALET, MY BEST FRIEND and THE CLOSET).
By the way, this film's plot is very similar to the Gina Lollabrigida film BUONA SERA MRS. CAMPBELL--a film that is about as good and worth seeing as "Les Compères".