Just Visiting (2001)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Jean-Marie Poiré

Writers (WGA):

Jean-Marie Poiré (1993 screenplay Les Visiteurs) and
Christian Clavier (1993 screenplay Les Visiteurs) ...

Release Date:

6 April 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy

Tagline:

They Came. They Saw. They Wanna Go Back.

Plot:

A knight and his valet are plagued by a witch, and to repair the damage they make use of the services of a wizard...

Plot Keywords:

Sword Fight | Alternative Timeline | Levitation | Remake | Alternate History

Cast

Jean Reno	...	Thibault
Christina Applegate	...	Rosalind / Julia
Christian Clavier	...	Andre
Matt Ross	...	Hunter (as Matthew Ross)
Tara Reid	...	Angelique
Bridgette Wilson	...	Amber (as Bridgette Wilson-Sampras)
John Aylward	...	Byron
George Plimpton	...	Dr. Brady
Malcolm McDowell	...	Wizard
Martin Aistrope	...	Barfly #3
Naomi Armstrong	...	Bystander #2
Eric Aviles	...	Purse Snatcher
Sarah Badel	...	Queen
Bill Bailey	...	Thibault's Father
Tab Baker	...	Cabbie

Also Known As:

Les visiteurs en Amérique (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and crude humor.

Runtime:

88 min | Spain:84 min (DVD edition)

Country:

France | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Astrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:LH | Malaysia:U | Netherlands:6 | Canada:PG | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:6 | Philippines:G | South Korea:12 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG (cut) | USA:PG-13 (PCA #37861) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Berkeley Castle, Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England, UK

Company:

Gaumont

Trivia:

The ruined castle at the end of the film is Corfe castle in Dorset, England. The castle at Corfe was mixed with other footage for the internal scene at type end of the film as there are no low walls or views at that angle of fields.

Goofs:

Continuity: The sticker Julia puts on Thibault changes position between shots, and in some scenes is gone altogether.

Quotes:

Maitre D': [he is brandishing a raw chicken which Andre has stolen from the kitchens, skewered with an umbrella and tried to roast in the fireplace] I'm afraid I'm going to have add an order of "Chicken à la Umbrella" to your bill.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#29.7)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Princesse Nubienne

Not as good as the original, but not as bad as one might fear

Just Visiting is an American remake (starring the same two main characters) of the excellent French "Les Visiteurs" from 1993. The remake is of course not on par with the original, which is a perfect comedy. The U.S. version is much duller, and marred by several things, such as Jean Reno being too old to successfully reprise his role, and many jokes simply not being very funny.

It gains, however, on two important counts. First, Malcolm McDowell's wizard, who has a much larger and more interesting part in this movie than the original wizard did in the first movie. Second, Christina Applegate's character. She is surprisingly good, and a delight to watch. She's never been a terrible actress, but here she's extraordinary. She plays a kind of good-hearted, intelligent and yet naive character that, to my knowledge, is quite different from the other characters she's played. Where she's often been an air-head bimbo, here she's genuinely appealing; even endearing.

It still does detract from the movie that, to a great degree, it merely goes through the motions of the original movie, trying to mimic the jokes and japes, and very often failing miserably. Still and all, it's worth watching and is better than it might have been.

I rate this one 7 out of 10. You should see the original, though, which is far more inspired and also gives a great impression of spontaneity. I rate the original version 10 out of 10. It's that good.