Raunchy and hilarious, Vive La France is a brave comedy celebrating French diversity as it follows two inept terrorists on a doomed mission. It’s such a rare thing nowadays to see a movie willing to take risks and making fun of terrorists. I can think of only British comedy Four Lions from 2010 and not a single other. Michaël Youn, who wrote, directed, and stars in this movie used the whole “traditional and outdated values” thing to create a lot of great gags. The famous clash of values and fish out of water concepts are a staple of several old-school comedies. For example, in Les Visiteurs we have guys coming literally from the past. And in Les Anges Gardiens, a timid priest and sleazy nightclub owner must work together. Those two movies are also similar to this one with their fast pacing and rapid-fire jokes.
There’s one running joke in Vive la France that had me in stitches every time it popped up. I have to keep it a secret as I want you to have the same reaction of shock and laughter. If you’re looking for sophisticated humor, you won’t find it here. What you will find though is one hell of an entertaining and sometimes even offensive comedy. There are a lot of really diverse and wacky scenes here from other terrorists to fucking furries! Granted, there are a couple of cliches and cringy ones reinforcing the main theme. However, they will be over quickly and the next thing you know you’ll be laughing. Apart from gags we also have a lot of great and hilarious dialogue.
Welcome to Taboulistan, a small middle-eastern country. You probably never heard of it and this the same problem that the ruthless leader of this country is trying to fix. He recruits two simple-minded shepherds and sends them to France to blow up the Eiffel tower. Their mission will hit its first obstacle when their flight gets diverted. Now, they will have to find a way across the whole country to get to Paris…
The only thing that, in my opinion, Vive La France is missing is more sexual jokes. Now, I know how that sounds but there are just so many jokes you could make. Still, this just proves that this is a more mainstream-oriented movie. Something that sounds really strange considering what it’s about but you’ll know what I mean once you check it out. This also a road and adventure movie, something that adds even more excitement to the atmosphere. As our two idiots are traveling through France, they not only marvel at the beauty of it but also learn more about its people. You can already imagine all of France watching and having that warm feeling around their heart. Considering how much they smoke and drink, it’s probably a heart attack coming. I’m just kidding Frenchies, I love ya, my hedonistic brethren. Liberte Egalite Fraternite ’till death motherfuckers.
If you’re looking for movies like Vive la France, check out Borat, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, The Dictator, and EuroTrip. Staying in the area you also might want to look out for The Death of Stalin, The Interview or War Dogs. Finally, I just have to mention MacGruber for unspecified reasons. Enjoy.
Director: Michaël Youn
Writers: Michaël Youn, Dominique Gauriaud, Jurij Prette, Bernardo Barilli
Cast: José Garcia, Michaël Youn, Isabelle Funaro, Ary Abittan, Jérôme Commandeur, Vincent Moscato, Moussa Maaskri, Franck Gastambide
Fun Facts: Budget was $18.3 million
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2293138/
