Justine is embarrassed to say the least when her boss, Franck, asks her to organize a romantic weekend to help him seduce the woman he is in love with. He gives him carte blanche and 14,000 euros for costs and his remuneration. This exorbitant amount could allow her husband Albin and their friends to settle the debts they owe each other. This stroll along charming narrow canals will be full of surprises, chance encounters and nice shenanigans…
Along the locks
Bruno Podalydès literally takes us on a “barge” which will cross pretty corners of France at the appropriate leisurely speed so as not to damage the banks and to set a playful pace. In addition to being the author of this delicious bucolic fantasy, he plays the captain – moderately experienced – of the pleasure boat where there is a crew of Pieds Nickelés who will multiply improbable schemes to get a few tickets in addition to an envelope yet already big. It is always pleasant to see Bruno Podalydès playing, as when they were children, with his brother Denis who plays, here, a husband in need of money, ultimately uncomfortable with this enterprise of seduction of which he could become the victim ! They are accompanied by members of their troupe, happy to be part of the party: Isabelle Candelier (Sandra, the cook who runs a café chantant and changes her appearance to better trick), Jean-Noël Brouté (Caramel, false lock keeper with multiple faces) and Florence Muller (Rosine, both waitress and hypnotist psychologist). Their film-infused camaraderie feels like they’re playing in a playground.
Pleasant choral entertainment
Sandrine Kiberlain, tasty in “Comme un avion” and “Les 2 Alfred”, is so again, here, as a weak-willed woman at the origin of the collective scam which is beyond her but will prove charming. The one who pays the price is Daniel Auteuil who rediscovers this gift that he has long had for comedy. He plays this boss who at first glance seems like a bad guy, convinced that his wealth gives him all the rights, including with women. Fortunately, far from remaining caricatured and detestable, he reveals his faults and an unexpected generosity in the attention he ends up giving to others, as if this outing in the countryside and on the water brought him back to the carefreeness of his youth. We also guess that he is not so fooled by what is going on and is sincere in his affection. A pleasant choral entertainment concocted by Bruno Podalydès, with his directing style inherited from Belgian comics and his taste for eccentric accessories and handmade disguises.
Comedy by and with Bruno Podalydès, Daniel Auteuil, Sandrine Kiberlain, Denis Podalydès and Dimitri Doré.
