This film cam back into my hands recently as a brand new film in the budget range on a certain on line store. I took the opportunity to view it for the first time in 2 or more years.
The premise of this film (good and bad consciences coming down to earth to chastise their respective owners) via a ridiculous Hong Kong subplot, with Triads by the carload, is only really an excuse (a very good one) to exercise the talents of Christian Clavier and Gerard Depardieu. This film is most definitely one to watch in French only, I checked out the dubbed version and it is without any merit, almost as bad as the dub for Le Diner de Cons but that is another story.
Clavier is at full strength as the irritating Father Tarain ("a-i-n like Pain") and he brings his facial expressions and slightly precious voice to the character. The sequences in the ecumenical archives, in the plane and in the Chinese restaurant just make me cry with laughter. Depardieu is satisfyingly "un-Gérard-like" in this film, he seems content to have a good time and frankly this pays off in spades.
The action sequences are suitably hammy, the girls are suitable stunning (any film that packs in the entire Crazy Horse troupe, Eva Grimaldi, Eva Herzegovina and a dozen other gorgeous girls in various states of undress has obviously got a good grip on things!) and the whole package rolls along nicely. Well worth a viewing on a lazy Sunday afternoon, if only to hear "Bonjour Georges" and "Je vous présente le Père Pain" one more time. Undemanding fun, 8 out of 10.
The premise of this film (good and bad consciences coming down to earth to chastise their respective owners) via a ridiculous Hong Kong subplot, with Triads by the carload, is only really an excuse (a very good one) to exercise the talents of Christian Clavier and Gerard Depardieu. This film is most definitely one to watch in French only, I checked out the dubbed version and it is without any merit, almost as bad as the dub for Le Diner de Cons but that is another story.
Clavier is at full strength as the irritating Father Tarain ("a-i-n like Pain") and he brings his facial expressions and slightly precious voice to the character. The sequences in the ecumenical archives, in the plane and in the Chinese restaurant just make me cry with laughter. Depardieu is satisfyingly "un-Gérard-like" in this film, he seems content to have a good time and frankly this pays off in spades.
The action sequences are suitably hammy, the girls are suitable stunning (any film that packs in the entire Crazy Horse troupe, Eva Grimaldi, Eva Herzegovina and a dozen other gorgeous girls in various states of undress has obviously got a good grip on things!) and the whole package rolls along nicely. Well worth a viewing on a lazy Sunday afternoon, if only to hear "Bonjour Georges" and "Je vous présente le Père Pain" one more time. Undemanding fun, 8 out of 10.