Buffet Froid

Reviled by many critics, loved by a solid minority, I ended up in between, but leaning more towards the positive.

This is odd absurdist fun (described by one critic as 'Waiting for Godot' meets the New York Post). But the key word is fun. It doesn't feel "good for you", or like a stern lecture on the moral emptiness of modern life. Blier is too goofy for that. So, yes, he comments on how violence has taken over our urban world, how isolated we all are, etc. But he makes you laugh in the process, with sometimes almost 'Three Stooges' like levels of silliness. 'Little Murders' comes to mind, but I enjoyed this more.

Yes, it gets repetitive at moments, but the acting (Gerard Depardieu, Bernard Blier, Jean Carmet) is very good, the look (which echoes – I think intentionally – the cold, sharp modern world of 'Clockwork Orange') is terrific, and for every scene that doesn't work, there are a couple that do. Is this great, important film-making? Probably not. But I'd sure as hell rather watch this sort of playful, hyper black comedy of ideas than most of what comes out of Hollywood these days.