Tais Toi AKA Ruby and Quentin Movie 2003 Scene Gérard Depardieu as Quentin and Jean Reno as Ruby in prison

Tais Toi AKA Ruby and Quentin [2003]

August 2, 2022

Sometimes you just want to play something entertaining and easy to watch. Tais Toi AKA Ruby and Quentin is a laugh-out-loud French comedy about two very different criminals who have to work together. I know, I know, you probably heard this story a thousand times before but trust me on this one, it’s really good. And there’s a reason why people keep using this same formula because it simply works. Especially if you’ve got great actors playing the leads, and you won’t find better than Reno and Depardieu.

The movie is written and directed by Francis Veber, the same guy who brought you such hits as The Dinner Game and The Closet. Now, not every joke works but every once in a while one will knock your socks off. The first one for me was the one with the horse. I simply couldn’t stop laughing for five minutes straight. And they brought it back just to fuck me up even more. While this is a movie about two hardened criminals, I’m sure you know someone who’s as annoying as Quentin and as brooding as Ruby. Although the safest bet is that you know someone like their prison break facilitator.

The pacing is relentless and there’s not a dull moment in this movie. Combine this with a running time of just 85 minutes and you’ve got yourself a perfect time killer. More importantly, Tais Toi stood the test of time and is still worth watching after almost twenty years. For example, I loved Wasabi, a similar buddy cop comedy back when it first came out but when I watched it a couple of months ago it just wasn’t as good as I remember it.

Quentin is a bit dumb but kindhearted criminal who ends up in jail after a robbery gone wrong. Ruby, a skilled and highly intelligent thief ends up in the same place by pure chance. He’s been working for a bigshot Vogel but now Vogel wants to kill him. This means that Ruby needs to escape from prison and there’s only one person whose help he doesn’t need…

As you can notice, the story is rather simplistic but effective. The humor is universal with just slight hints of raunchiness. This means you can watch this movie with anyone, kids included. If you were wondering what the title of this movie, Tais Toi means, it’s shut up in French. Another mystery solved. Above all, Tais Toi or Ruby and Quentin is a feelgood movie. It will leave you in a good mood and hungry for more. I recommend you continue your exploration of French comedies with Les Visiteurs, Guardian Angels, and Vive La France.