Welcome to the Sticks (2008)

I laughed out loud with this move, and certainly, I didn't expect it.

Sometimes we forget how important it is to have a good plot. Nothing turns out badly, but there are some happy surprises. The best is how the Ch'Tis play on the "brute, simple, vulgar" stereotype to their advantage. It'd be a crime to say more. Witness the "cat as food", spitting, Philippe's appalling house decoration.

Another thing I liked it is that they don't "become" somebody else. I mean, in the end you see people turn out and behave as what they are. The Abrams are not Ch'Tis, and they are wary of outsiders. I'm not saying anything important, but I think sociologically it makes it more valuable and respectful. It has the perfect moderate amount of conflict for making it interesting besides the "chic vs coarse" theme. Antoine's induced alcoholism, his love interest for Annabelle, his overbearing but loving "maman", Julie's neurosis, always finding fault at everything Philippe does, him lying all the time, finally for no reason.

Kad Merad is one of the best comedy actors I've ever seen. He's got a natural talent for mimicking and copying all their local pronunciation, accents, and even ways of having fun. His scam with "neurological twitching" included was masterful.

Dany Boon is of course perfect, his face says it all. They have good talks despite being utterly different. Great scene of male friendship, that form of art, at the beach and "not crying" later. His two sidekicks steal the show. Even their way of dressing is just perfect. Both young women of the film are beautiful, specially Anne Marivin, always bustling with activity. I'd have liked Zoé Félix to have more to say than just grouch and be a pain, until her nice acknowledgment near the end (that she may also have something to do with all this). The funny copper Patrick Bosso has one of those vital small roles that differentiate a good from a great film. Notice how the speed at which he drives is a function of Philippe's moods :).

Line Renaud, from "Le silence de l'épervier" (TV) among others, is beautiful as an intrusive and contradictory (witness Anabelle's face at the post office, the only time they "speak") mum who, in a way, "only wants the best for her sun", but harasses poor Antoine following him to his dead end job with food and constantly fearing he'd be ill but, her serious talk with him was so matter-of-fact, (while peeling potatoes, mind you!) that his face of relief afterwards is worth the price of the ticket.

If you have family or friends in the province, you've probably feel as Philippe does. They are wary, probably will give you a couple headaches with their "sense of humour" and yes, they "eat strangely", but with their heart and warmth they'll probably more than make up for it.

Try to follow their French. I'd say 60% of the fun is there. It's carefully geared so as for you to "learn the codes". They even teach you how to speak and "translate" the language, twice. Which consists of letter replacement and pronunciation as well as particles that just "don't mean anything", social rules "they invite you in when you drop by", and even intonation (the "from the guts" interjection in the end). In short, if you play moderate attention you'll end up speaking like' em. Or

Fmovies: I have not laughed so hard in a long, long time. For those who understand the easy-going French spirit, there is not better comedy than a French comedy. And this is one of their funniest. Of course one has to suspend one's disbelief on a number of occasions - heck it's a comedy, not a documentary. The French do not concern themselves with political correctness either. They laugh at everything and everybody in a good natured way - not to create controversy (a la South Park). Humour comes to them naturally. It's a party and everyone is invited. Enjoy the party! If you want an action blockbuster or a film with another type of humour (British, American etc...) this is not a good film to see. It's a comedy.

As a French film lover, I had to discover this little film which was surrounded by much hype and now ranks among the 5 most profitable movies launched in France. Otherwise, people would have told me: "what? You haven't seen Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'Ti's? Everyone's talking about it. It's terrific". So terrific that it turned the small town of Berck into an unlikely tourist attraction and a few months ago I ate a delicious "Maroual" tart! Without mentioning verbal expressions that are now used in French common language like "Biloute". I went to see it also partly because I had enjoyed Dany Boon's first effort as a director: "la Maison Du Bonheur" (2006) even if I especially smiled than laughed.

I'm a little baffled that this film which isn't that much original made itself known in virtually every French house. The premise of a man who has to cope with a new and supposedly hostile world has been used thousands of times before in cinema. At first, Boon follows an apparently mapped scheme. Kad Merad is anguished at the idea to spend a part of his professional life in Northern France where it is supposed to rain every day and where inhabitants appear to be sullen. But then, things aren't what he believes them to be: it's often sunny and people are generally charming. But as he wants to avoid a breakdown to his wife, Merad lies to her until one day she joins him in the Nord Pas De Calais.

What I like in Boon's effort is that it recycles the clichés linked to this French area to boost laughter and it often works. I dig the moments when Merad is on the highway (to hell?) and as soon as he arrives in the Nord Pas De Calais, it starts to rain. When Merad also tries to help Boon to solve his problem with alcohol, it's quite funny too. I would also quote the moments with humorist Patrick Bosso as a cop who stops twice Merad on the highway and its results. Boon's directing should also be praised for taking some of his clichés into unexpected territories like when Boon announces to Line Renaud that he wants to marry his girlfriend. And when Merad's wife comes to visit him in Northern France, Dany Boon thumbs the nose at the ones who have a dogged vision of dreary Northern France.

There's no denying that Boon is deeply attached to his native area. His love for it transpires in virtually every plan where we can see parts of the town and its inhabitants. It's obvious that he feels much more at ease in directing and acting than in its previous effort where secondary roles almost stole him the show. He manages to convey tenderness for his characters to the viewer. However, like in "la Maison Du Bonheur", I especially smiled than laughed. The sole moment where I was dead laughing was when Merad pretends to be disabled to have his promotion even if this trick isn't new.

But Boon's effort is better than his first one thanks to his control over directing (one can admire the contrast when Merad enjoys being in joyful Northern France and when he has to go back to Nice to find again his depressed wife), clichés and also the performance as a whole. It's also comforting that such a film rode high at the French box office while other productions that were likely to be successes failed in spite of a conspicuous publicity campaign like "Astérix Aux Jeux Olympiques" (2008). And it's a film that should definitely reduce the detractors of Northern France to silence. So, I liked "Bienvenue

Welcome to the Sticks fmovies. France is not a homogeneous country at all. It is full of prejudices, different dialects habits in almost each district. The film perfectly plays with these. Admittingly the viewer has to know France and the French habits. To my opinion the most characteristic scene is the welcome dinner at the best restaurant at Bergues where Philippe is introduced to the local dialect by his new colleagues. When he tries to place the order he is not understood by the waiter with the argument that he is from Paris. Another typical scene is the welcome reception to Philippes wife Julie, where all prejudices about "the Nord" are put in 10 minutes film. Too funny. Beside the main narration line the film tells a story about friendship, love and the beauty of the simple life.

If this film meets such a great success, it's just because people recognize themselves in those characters. Well, they are not politically correct (alcoolism) but in these days when life is so difficult for the middle and low class French people, this movie is refreshing and helps you forget everything else. It's also a great lesson of tolerance. Nobody should never have pre-built ideas about a country or an area and his people. Dany Boon describes the world he knows. It's the same world that a lot of French people know, maybe not in Paris, but in the villages, in the country. For once, we have a movie with real people, real life stories of simple people. And maybe people wants to see this from time to time, instead of crimes and violence. Personnaly, I think this movie approaches the Marcel Pagnol movies. Two days ago, 12,592,762 seats where sold. 12,592,762 people cannot be wrong.

I saw this movie in Lille, France, two weeks after the premiere, and the movie theaters were full. Everyone wanted to see it. (After two weeks, 15 million viewers. That's a lot.) Even though they sometimes spoke Ch'ti it was quite easy to understand, and many parts would have been funny in any language. I really recommend everyone to see it, no matter if you speak French or not. Many of the jokes with words (jeu de mots) are only comprehensible if you speak French, but it's still great. The point with the movie isn't just the language, another aspect is the prejudices the Southerns have about the Northerns. Which can be found in many more countries than France. I really think that it's a movie everyone can find something to like about. Maybe the French over-hyped it, but it's still a superb movie.