Le Dîner de Cons (1998)

Le Dîner de Cons (or 'The Dinner Game') is the pre-make (sorry.) of recent film, Dinner For Schmucks. 

I'm sure i'll watch that over the coming months but today is all about French farce by the don of modern French farce, Francis Veber.

Based on the trailer for Dinner for Schmucks, i can tell they're very different movies; certainly not a-shot-for-shot remake. The '...Schmucks' version makes more of the 'who can bring a biggest weirdo to dinner' concept. Le Dîner de Cons is more about a horrible jerk getting his comeuppance from a delightful if boring schlub. More importantly it's really, really funny. Le Dîner de Cons is like watching 3 episodes of your favorite 3-wall sitcom back-to-back.

It's 75mins long- i wish more film-makers had the balls to make more movies shorter. 

Most films are too long- i've said it before, i'll say it again. If i can say your films too short, that's A* praise. Not to say Le Dîner de Cons is too short but if he felt like it, Veber could have milked another 5-10mins outta the film/story. But that might be the calculated decision of a comedy genius; Veber's pace and timing is a masterclass in dialogue and absurdity.

Jacques Villeret's character of 'Pignon' has this great 'gaul from 'Asterix' look about him- it's a brilliant tool to perform his buffoonery with. Thierry Lhermitte playing Brochant is a well-kempt cruel charming asshole. That's a lot of possibly conflicting adjectives for one guy to play but he sells all of them every minute he's on screen.

For the most part, it all takes place in Brochant's apartment and we just watch Pignon slowly take his life apart quite naively. And when he tries to fix it... He ends up making it worse. Classic 1 step forward, 2 steps back. As I've said, it appears that Brochant is just the straight-man but he's mean and increasingly biligerant with Pignon, he cheats on his wife, feels no guilt about the 'dinner game' but while you hardly feel sorry for him, you can understand his despair with the matchstick-model-making lug.
Because Pignon is so-wide eyed to help Brochant- who just wants him to go away, their relationship is almost kinda like Dennis and Mr Wilson from the American 'Dennis the Menace'

I also admire that Veber waits until the last 5mins to reveal Brochant's intent for inviting Pignon around to dinner. In most films of this ilk (Dinner for Schmucks included probably), the last 30mins is made up of- the reveal, the wronged one storms off-the other feels guilty-there's an emotional montage of them going about their lives without the other and then finally, they make friends- The end.

'Here it's like, 'i'm pissed with you but who cares at this point'- The end. 
But then that's the difference between Brochant and Pignon- he knows life's too short to hold grudges and some might take advantage of you but when you're happy and secure with yourself, you don't sweat the small stuff...


I watched Le Dîner de Cons (1998), on BBC I-Player.
My 2011 in Movies will return with NEDS (2010)...