Every day, AlloCiné recommends a film to (re)watch on TV. Tonight: a comedy with a mismatched duo.
Over time, Francis Veber has become THE specialist in mismatched duets. In 1973, he opposed Lino Ventura and Jacques Brel, one as an implacable hitman, the other on the verge of hysteria, in L’Emmerdeur. In 1981, then in 1986, he associated Gérard Depardieu with the king of awkwardness, Pierre Richard, in the comedies La Chèvre and Les Fugitives.
In 2003, the director continued in this vein with Shut up!, the story of an encounter, in prison, between Ruby de Puteaux, a criminal obsessed with revenge for the murder of his wife, and Quentin de Montargis, a robber. clumsy and simple-minded.
For this new film duo, Francis Veber calls on two imposing actors: Gérard Depardieu, his favorite actor, with whom he is filming for the fifth time, and Jean Reno, whom he had already directed in Le Jaguar, eight years earlier. .
Against all expectations, the role of the naive falls to Depardieu, whose performance surprises the director himself. Alongside his partner, the actor continues to beat up the chain, but with an almost touching innocence, and a stupidity that smashes all records.
In line with Francis Veber’s previous comedies, Shut up ! therefore relies on the impeccable interpretation of its two stars, as well as on its comic situations. It is clear that this mechanism still works as well since the film totaled more than 2 million admissions when it was released.
Shut up ! by Francis Veber with Jean Reno, Gérard Depardieu, André Dussollier…
Tonight on TMC at 8:50 p.m.