Broadcast tonight on France 3, the TV movie “Grilled Chickens” immerses viewers in a police investigation led by a team of broken arms. Is this comedy with Barbara Cabrita (“Sam”) and Samuel Labarthe worth the detour?
What is it about ?
Fallen star of the PJ of Lyon following a serious error, Anne Capestan is entrusted with the head of the mysterious “4th brigade”: a unit in which are transferred all the alcoholics, depressives and other misfits who clutter the services of police and which we cannot get rid of.
However, it is with her team of broken arms that the commander will find herself in a position to solve the most important investigation of the moment, a case involving several robberies, an ace of disguise and the unexplained murder of a Maltese.
Tuesday April 26 at 9:10 p.m. on France 3
Who is it with?
After having distinguished herself in the Cage Dorée, Love at first sight on a Christmas tune or even the series Sam and Luther on TF1, Barbara Cabrita embodies Commander Anne Capestan, ex-police star of BRI, fallen after shooting a colleague during an operation.
Demoted, she is in charge of the fourth shock brigade composed of Eva (Marie-Armelle Deguy), Lebreton (Hubert Delattre), Bad luck (Marie Petiot) and Max (Mohamed Belhadjine). The actors of the explosive quartet are already known on the big or small screen.
Marie-Armelle Deguy recently acted in the films Les Amours d’Anaïs and Deux femmes. Hubert Delattre starred in the film L’invitation de Fred Grivois, and recently appeared in the Face à Face series on France 3. Last summer, Marie Petiot was noticed for her role as Nadège in the film The fine flower of Pierre Pinaud, and actor Mohamed Belhadjine, the most discreet of the team played the role of Mitch-Mitch in The French Dispatch by Wes Anderson.
The number one suspect in this theft case is played by Samuel Labarthe (Les Petits Murders d’Agatha Christie), who recently played one of the main roles in the film Notre-Dame is burning.
Well worth a look ?
Grilled chickens is a light comedy set in a police investigation. The main narrative plot of the film is the hunt for the famous thief Weber. This investigation of great importance is attributed to the BRI of Lyon, but this does not slow down the ambitions of Commander Capestan who, armed with a new clue, will set off on the trail of the thief.
Determined to straighten out the fourth brigade, she will not spare her colleagues despite the problems that each of them encounters in their professional or private life. Lebreton is still in depression because of the death of his companion, Max is asocial and can’t stand being approached by others, and Bad luck is literally bad luck. Some hope rested on Eva, but she hides from everyone that she is a writer of renowned detective novels who draws inspiration from her colleagues.
Nicolas ROBIN – FTV – SCARLETT PRODUCTION
Many events will put the Grilled Chicken Brigade in the face of dangers they never imagined and for which they were clearly not prepared. Throwing themselves under a car, filming a suspect a meter away, performing a dog autopsy, the team will stop at nothing to flush out the famous Weber before the BRI. So many improbable scenes that punctuate the TV movie and make this team endearing.
The police comedy carried by Barbara Cabrita highlights a strong female character who is not afraid to investigate this case despite the counter-orders of her superiors. His personality and spunk bring some spice to the comedy. However, the freshness brought by the actress and the acting of the brigade struggle to compensate for an overly simple police investigation.
Nicolas ROBIN – FTV – SCARLETT PRODUCTION
If we focus purely on the police aspect, the scenario of the France 3 TV movie is not very original. Here, the policewoman tries to restore her image and show what she is capable of, which does not revolutionize the genre. Fortunately, the choice of casting counterbalances certain weaknesses of the plot and makes you want to find the different characters for more improbable affairs.
The open end of Grilled Chickens also lets imagine a potential sequel allowing the fourth brigade to solve a new exceptional case with panache.