3/30/2015

Nous York (2012)


Les Misérables Clichés




This nonsensical empty attempt at comedy - or whatever it is they tried to do - consists in three childhood friends screaming "OBAMAAAA!" every 15 minutes. Those thirty-something immature boys fly to New York to surprise their other friend on her birthday. This leads to some existential quest for love and happiness within the family and friendship spheres. Not only has the plot barely scratched the surface but if you dug harder, there would be more surface. The poorly cast ensemble doesn't do justice to the typical French tourist and the filmmakers don't even have the slightest idea about American culture. They haven't even researched any of it and they portray the weirdest unbelievable facts. For example, every person they meet in NYC lives in some fancy 10-acre penthouse. Really? Do they have any idea of the housing market in Manhattan these days? Even Charlie Sheen's character in 1987's Wall Street had trouble paying rent for his little bachelor suite. But let's just assume that it makes sense because one of the protagonist is the assistant of some famous actor. Sure she is! How many French illegal workers in Manhattan actually are the assistant of De Niro or Woody Allen? That's right. None. Then there are the scenes regarding shoes on power lines. The three amigos first spot those in Brooklyn where one of them says it's just what New Yorkers do for fun or style. You expect a later scene in which they try to throw their shoes on a wire and a drug lord's street associate chasing them. That never happens. They end up throwing their shoes there and screaming the name of the 44th President of the USA. It is not deep, nor is it French-charming, clever or even funny. This is the last thing you want to watch to try out French comedy.

1 reason NOT to watch it: it's le merde.