Jim Troop

A man is obsessed with owning a late 60s-70s style deerskin jacket. So, he spends about 10,000 to buy one (when it should be free or next to it since no one today wants one) and then spends the rest of the film making up lies as he stays in a small French town. I was excited to see this film when I attended the Philadelphia Film Festival. After all, I have really enjoyed the other films I've seen starring Jean Dujardin. However, after seeing it, I was left very, very cold. The reason is like some other French films, such as "Buffet Froid" it's an example of Absurdism. Absurdism is really NOT just putting bizarre and often disconnected events into a film and provoking a reaction in the audience. I honestly could tell that some folks in the audience LOVED it. and they were laughing at everything. even when it wasn't funny in the least. And, for me, the experiment simply got tiresome after about five minutes. Overall, a joyless, unfunny and dull film. one that some love but the average viewer will be left thinking "What the. did I just watch.

4.5 stars - Jim Troop