Just Visiting (2001)

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:

Count Thibault and André attack a red SUV, saying, "Look! A red dragon!" In the original French 1993 version, they demolish a yellow postal van but first scare off its black driver, saying, "Look! A Moor!" The scene was fiddled for "racial sensitivity".

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Thibault is from 12th century France, but the costumes are from the early 15th century.

Quotes:

Julia: But Hunter doesn't have a sister.
Count Thibault: Excuse me, I will kill him for you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

Soundtrack:

Mambo Mambo

they're visiting? They'd better going away and never coming back

When a French movie is a huge commercial success, it's often followed by one or a few sequels. Sometimes, it happens that an American version is made. It was the case for "un indien dans la ville" a movie made by Hervé Palud in 1994 and transposed in an American version which was released in 1997. But these American versions are generally a waste of time and (why not?) a loss of money. This is what you could put forward by watching this listless and not very inspired remake of the French movie: "les visiteurs". Here, Jean-Marie Poiré contents with taking back the funniest elements that assured "the visitors"'success; sometimes in similar circumstances. For example, the curator of the museum in which our "visitors" appear replaced the black postman in 1993. So, the comical effects don't work and the movie creates very few surprises. Concerning the cast, well it's quite disparate: if Jean Reno keeps on talking with smart and noble terms, he seems less imposing and authoritarian than he was eight years ago. Christine Applegate is far away from Valérie Lemercier's performance whereas Matt Ross hasn't got Christian Bujeau's furor and exasperation when he's got to face "the visitors"' disasters. Nevertheless, Christian Clavier is always entertaining, especially when he's provoking disasters, in spite of very few new gags. In another hand, when we learn that Matt Ross aims at grabbing his wife's fortune with a little help from his lover, the movie becomes quite conventional. But with Reno's presence and bravery, Applegate will know how to make her husband leave. At the end, the movie lacks of punch and rhythm. It's not a bad movie but simply an useless remake. It's high time Reno and Clavier had a well-deserved rest.