The Cabbage Soup

This was Mr de Funès on one of his last movies. Even if the health was not all there, he still had the touch and wacky ways of making us laugh. It had a moral, not to make fun at you elders, even if they are living in the past manners. You need to be open minded and you must be a fan of Mr de Funès to really appriciate his style of humour.

Non french people may feel very disoriented by this movie... Its dialogs and background refer to a scaring rural France which disappeared a long time ago. Dialogs sound dumb ? There are... Character look ridiculous ? They are... The story is a nonsense ? sure. So, what makes this movie so interesting and well known in french cinema history ? well, as i said in the title it is a very rare tale about friendship, and also loneliness and fate. The two protagonists are old poor isolated countrymen close to death. They have lost everything (love, youth, illusions, hope) but themselves and their friendship. The world has changed too much... The movie was released as a stupid comedy (it has this reputation anyway). But it is a very sad movie and i often saw people crying during the film.

This comedy is a lot different from most other de Funès comedies in that it's very straightforward, there are few misunderstandings or complications, there's little of the choleric de Funès we know. Instead, at the heart of this film, there are two dotards leading their simple day-to-day lives and eating cabbage soup while waiting for their demise. Their quiet life is only endangered by the expanding city in the background.

When they unintentionally catch the attention of a cabbage-hungry alien, excitement ensues, friendships get adjusted, and of course there's a happy "ending". What makes this very simple story so fun to watch are the three main actors, they're so adorable you could watch them an hour longer without ever getting bored I think.

I've read some of the comments before and it surprises me that people really try comparing this movie to others and expecting from it a classic approach to comedy or sci-fi or even drama. I have the feeling that you cannot judge this movie using the same common patterns because it simply is different. I don't think that producers really wanted this movie to be rushed to cinema or trying to manage making it within a tight budget. Well, it is a small budget movie, maybe, but it didn't require too much funds. You don't need a huge budget to do something really excellent. This movie is a completely new approach to any of the above mentioned genres. And, as lnt-k said just before me, it is above all a wonderful ode to friendship. That's all that matters here. And the actors are magnificent. Louis de Funes, may God rest him in peace, is perfect in this movie, even if the critics were not generous with the movie. I don't need critics to really enjoy a performance like this. Each time I watch it again, I love it more and more. 10 out of 10 from me.

one of the greatest movies of the greatest comedian. I have never laughed more, than in " Luis und seine verrückten Kohlenköpfe"! Unfortunately de Funes died do early to had the chance to see his movies in the cinemas (I was to young). But he is in my memory. Thank you for a lot of great movies!