In the delicious "le Dîner De Cons" (1998) by the same director Francis Veber, Pierre Brochant (Thierry Lhermitte) says to his doctor on a dogged tone: "I've got a damn fool of world class tonight!...". The viewer who discovers "Tais-toi!" for the very first time could attribute as well this opinion to Quentin from Montargis (Gérard Depardieu) in this film. The IQ of this character is so low that the wardens in prisons and the male nurses in psychiatric hospitals can't stand him until one day, he makes the acquaintance of a taciturn inmate Ruby (Jean Reno) and thinks he's his friend because unlike all the ones Thomas met in his life, Ruby never tells him to shut up. The two men escape in a preposterous way and are soon tracked down by the police and the underworld...
For many French viewers, Francis Veber is the guarantee of a quality entertaining movie. Throughout the years this respectable scenarist gained a large reputation thanks to a recognizable comic recipe: the mismatched duo of men. Two men with a very different disposition who have to be and to face together unexpected situations. This formula gave laugh-filled works like "la Chèvre" (1981), "les Fugitifs" (1986) when it wasn't pure genius with "le Dîner De Cons" I mentioned earlier.
With "Tais-Toi!", he remains faithful to his cinematographic writing and coming after the dismaying "le Placard" (2001), it is a few notches above his precedent work. Of course, it never reaches the pinnacle of "le Dîner De Cons" but the Veber touch can be felt here and there. This man is a mastermind when it comes to depict the persona of his duo of men between the grouchy, ominous Ruby and his partner, the silly, simple-minded Quentin or to put verbal wit in hilarious dialogs. And it would be hard to resist taut, droll moments.
If the 2003 vintage is more palatable than the 2001 one, that doesn't make a great film for all that. Apart from indisputable assets, Veber's scenario is plagued by a humdrum imagination and a lackluster directing to weave an immaculate story for our maladjusted duo of men. Most of the film consists in a chase with fights, shooting and stunts a little lazily filmed during which the director doesn't appear to be at ease in spite of the fantastic steps his tandem goes through. What also hampers the venture is its ultra-mapped direction and a patchy direction of actors. It would be hard to resist the blissful ignorant Gérard Depardieu but Jean Reno is a more debatable choice for he's unable to shade his acting even if Veber wrote him some witty lines.
I would be tempted to write that this film showcases Veber's strong points and his limits. When he stays confined to the grounds of comedy, Francis Veber is in his element. But when he tries to make a foray into other cinema territories or to incorporate his comical gifts in it, laughter are too scattered even rare. Even if "Tais-toi!" isn't to be hammered, it will be soon forgotten after the screening.
For many French viewers, Francis Veber is the guarantee of a quality entertaining movie. Throughout the years this respectable scenarist gained a large reputation thanks to a recognizable comic recipe: the mismatched duo of men. Two men with a very different disposition who have to be and to face together unexpected situations. This formula gave laugh-filled works like "la Chèvre" (1981), "les Fugitifs" (1986) when it wasn't pure genius with "le Dîner De Cons" I mentioned earlier.
With "Tais-Toi!", he remains faithful to his cinematographic writing and coming after the dismaying "le Placard" (2001), it is a few notches above his precedent work. Of course, it never reaches the pinnacle of "le Dîner De Cons" but the Veber touch can be felt here and there. This man is a mastermind when it comes to depict the persona of his duo of men between the grouchy, ominous Ruby and his partner, the silly, simple-minded Quentin or to put verbal wit in hilarious dialogs. And it would be hard to resist taut, droll moments.
If the 2003 vintage is more palatable than the 2001 one, that doesn't make a great film for all that. Apart from indisputable assets, Veber's scenario is plagued by a humdrum imagination and a lackluster directing to weave an immaculate story for our maladjusted duo of men. Most of the film consists in a chase with fights, shooting and stunts a little lazily filmed during which the director doesn't appear to be at ease in spite of the fantastic steps his tandem goes through. What also hampers the venture is its ultra-mapped direction and a patchy direction of actors. It would be hard to resist the blissful ignorant Gérard Depardieu but Jean Reno is a more debatable choice for he's unable to shade his acting even if Veber wrote him some witty lines.
I would be tempted to write that this film showcases Veber's strong points and his limits. When he stays confined to the grounds of comedy, Francis Veber is in his element. But when he tries to make a foray into other cinema territories or to incorporate his comical gifts in it, laughter are too scattered even rare. Even if "Tais-toi!" isn't to be hammered, it will be soon forgotten after the screening.