Monsieur Claude und seine Töchter

This movie is rumored to be one of the most successful films made in France this year. And it is no wonder. Firstly, it’s a comedy and almost everybody likes those, and secondly it’s leaning brutally (and in a rather xenophobic way) into almost all minorities who keep immigrating into France and with which France has a lot of trouble these days. But for the real xenophobes on this site I must say that everybody in this movie was very likable (especially the daughters whom I simply wanted to kiss) so I was able to enjoy this film to the fullest. I’m giving the fifth star for Christian Clavier, who portrays an absolutely perfect character of the father who is unable to welcome any Asians, Blacks, Arabs or Jews in his family. Well, he got really lucky with his sons in law. (15.12.2014)

Those who choose films based on famous directorial aces will probably avoid Serial (Bad) Weddings. Those who seek the presence of movie stars also have no reason to waste time with this film. However, it is the most successful film of 2014 in terms of the audience in France, which was rare agreement by the audience and film critics alike. At a time when almost every third French person chooses right-wing radicals, when smaller armies can be assembled from French Muslims fighting for the extremist Islamic State in the Middle East, when anti-Semitic attacks engulf the country, it is simply nice to see a film that handles the burning issue of coexistence in a multiethnic society, clashes, and the search for religious and ethnic identity with comic detachment and aims for mutual understanding and a classic happy ending. The four charming sisters, although they have their differences, are able to find their way to each other through all the quarreling. There's nothing really deep here, as it is instead a matter of pure relaxation, a popular comedy that does not have ambitions to conquer the festival scene and attack the rankings of prestigious titles compiled by recognized critics. However, it is tastefully made and I cannot say anything bad about it. It's pleasant to watch, although it certainly isn't anything essential. Overall impression: 75%. (11.12.2014)

Erst einmal lobe ich den tschechischen Vertreiber für die gelungene und nicht verschandelte Übersetzung. Eine leichte sprachliche Verschiebung stört nicht, von der Bedeutung her passt es und ist witzig. Ich habe von Anfang bis Ende gelacht, eine Komödie über Vorurteile, Rassismus, Probleme in der Familie und über die gegenseitige Verträglichkeit unter den Menschen, das gefällt mir sehr. Christian Clavier ist wirklich alt und von seinen Partys mit Sarkozy und ähnlichen weiteren Taugenichtsen von der UMP braun geworden, doch er ist immer noch ein hervorragender Komiker, der auch durch bloße Mimik spielen kann. Das relativ unbekannte Darstellerensemble trägt ebenfalls zum Gesamterfolg des Films bei, und ich wundere mich überhaupt nicht über den Zuschauererfolg in Staaten, die als Kolonialmacht gebrandmarkt sind und nun mit den gegenwärtigen Problemen in Verbindung mit Immigranten zurechtkommen müssen. (26.10.2014)

I don't know if it's a good idea to create an agitation for equality by saying that everyone involved – white, Arab, Jewish, Chinese, or black – has only one thing in common, and that's that they're all morons. The women here are male-dependent Cosmopolitan hysterics, either completely vain or mentally unbalanced, and the men are overgrown five-year-old brats. It tries to be a little irreverent, but it would have had to have been made by someone with some balls and, more importantly, the ability to build timing for the individual jokes. As it was, I found the funniest moments to be the ones that didn't actually involve racial or religious diversions at all, like the casual discarding of an electronic cigarette or the running gag with the ultra-depressing images of one of the main daughters. (10.02.2015)

I'm not exactly a fan of French cinema, but I still had a lot of fun with this comedy. Under different circumstances, I would have given the film four stars, but I felt like it was filmed at the request of the EU chief of propaganda, so I took one star down. In real life, big family celebrations tend to get pretty challenging. I don't even want to imagine the kind of hell that would break loose at such a multicultural family’s get-together. (05.03.2019)