Messieurs les enfants (1997)

To punish three troublemakers, Albert Castraing, their French teacher, gives them an essay to do, in which they must imagine what their lives would be if they were suddenly transformed into... See full summary »

Director:

Pierre Boutron

Writers:

Pierre Boutron, Daniel Pennac

Stars:

Pierre Arditi, François Morel, Zinedine Soualem

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pierre Arditi	...	Joseph Piritzkt / Pope Piritzky
François Morel	...	Igor Laforgue / Pierre Laforgue
Zinedine Soualem	...	Nourdine Kader / Ismaël Kader
Catherine Jacob	...	Yolande
Jean-Louis Richard	...	Albert Crastaing
Michel Aumont	...	Le principal
Anne Jacquemin	...	Tatiana
Nozha Khouadra	...	Rachida (Hélène) Kader
Nathalie Auffret	...	Moune
Jean-Claude Leguay	...	Eric
Philippe Khorsand	...	L'huissier
Tonino Benacquista	...	Le surveillant général
Claire Borotra	...	Agnès
Valérie Vogt	...	Prostituée
Géraldine Bonnet-Guérin	...	Prostituée

Storyline

To punish three troublemakers, Albert Castraing, their French teacher, gives them an essay to do, in which they must imagine what their lives would be if they were suddenly transformed into adults. The next morning, the three twelve-year-old boys realise to their amazement that...they HAVE BEEN transformed into adults! As for they parents they have become...KIDS! It is the beginning of a series of mishaps for Joseph, a Jew, Igor, a catholic and Nourdine, an Arab...

---

Plot Keywords:

child as adult

---

Taglines:

Truth is not a lie!

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

1 October 1997 (France)

Filming Locations:

Paris 20, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 35,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

CiBy 2000, El Deseo S.A., France 3 (FR 3)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Promising starting point leading to nowhere.

The title(delightfully paradoxical), the genre (French made fantasies are rather seldom), the names of the director (Pierre Boutron, quite rightly acclaimed for his work on television) and Daniel Pennac(one of our best contemporary French writers) made my mouth water. To no avail!

Indeed,the actors ( usually all excellent) gesticulate instead of playing, the comedy is heavy-handed, almost always privileging sight gags over satire and there are far too many digressions, either vulgar( the prostitutes; the all too numerous expletives) or politically correct ( the integration of minorities issue, the victims of contaminated blood transfusion ). The worst point is that both the writers and the director forget to deal with their subject : kids having to settle parents'problems and the reverse. How little substance there is in this film!

Two actors do a very good job despite the poor material they are given to defend : the always reliable Michel Aumont as a priceless lax middle school principal and Jean-Louis Richard as a bitter, sadistic teacher.

Which amounts to not much, I'm afraid.