French comedy “Complètement Cramé” with John Malkovich
Published: Friday, Dec 15th 2023, 10:40
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With "Complètement Cramé", the successful French author Gilles Legardinier has made one of his most successful stories into a movie. A comedy about hope and clichés with John Malkovich and Fanny Ardant.
Since the death of his wife, Andrew Blake has lost the joy of life. Inconsolable, the successful British entrepreneur decides to return to France to the castle of Beauvillier, where he met his late wife over 40 years ago. But his stay turns out differently than he had hoped.
With the comedy "Complètement Cramé", Gilles Legardinier presents his first directorial work. The film is based on his successful novel of the same name, which has been published in 22 countries and 17 languages. The book was published in Switzerland in 2014 under the title "Monsieur Blake and the Magic of Love". With his romantic comedies, the 58-year-old is one of the most widely read authors in France.
Malkovich unexpectedly becomes a butler
Beauvillier Castle has long ceased to be a guest house. When Andrew arrives, the maid mistakes him for a man who has come for his job as a butler. Andrew plays the game. Because he wants to stay longer in the castle with its beautiful memories.
For his first directorial work, Legardinier brought the American actor John Malkovich in front of the camera, who shone as a Machiavellian seducer in Stephen Frears' film "Dangerous Liaisons". Here he impresses with his incomparable composure as Andrew Blake. Opposite him, Fanny Ardant plays Nathalie Beauvillier, the completely impoverished owner of the magnificent estate, with graceful elegance.
Strange staff in the castle
The ironic Andrew encounters strange characters at the castle. There is the authoritarian and uptight housekeeper Odile (Émilie Dequenne) with her cat Mephisto. Under her strict supervision, Andrew serves the widowed lady of the manor breakfast and answers the post. Or the depressed chambermaid Manon (Eugénie Anselin), who lives in the garage, and the gruff gardener Philippe (Philippe Bas), who lives almost like a hermit. The lady of the house is also a mystery.
Legardinier plays generously with clichés about the French and the English in his film. Some of the puns and jokes about cultural differences seem a little rehashed, some scenes too tabloid-like, such as the cross-dressing scene in which Andrew, wearing a platinum blonde wig and red-painted lips, tries to teach the gardener table manners. But Malkovich makes up for a lot as a "snobbish English gentleman" with a wonderful French accent and typical English humor. It's a movie with a lot of humanity, because it shows that you should never give up hope, even if you no longer believe in it yourself.
The film will be shown in Swiss-German cinemas from December 21, 2023.
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