A PAIN IN THE ASS
A PAIN IN THE ASS |
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An assassin checks into a hotel as a needy, suicidal and unbelievably annoying man checks into the room next door. Trouble lies ahead. | score 2+ |
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| Cast Richard Berry, Patrick Timset, Pascal Elbé, Virginie Ledoyen Director Francis Veber Screenwriter Francis Veber Country France (subtitles) Rating / Running Time M /896 minutes Australian Release April 2009 Official Site (c) moviereview
2006-2009
ABN 72 775 390 361 |
Veber’s
manic story of misanthropic friendship has wound a complicated path to
get to the screen. His stage-play was first filmed as L’Emmerdeur (1973) by Edouard Molinaro, reworked by Hollywood as Buddy/Buddy
(1981) by Billy Wilder, then reclaimed by Veber, now director, and
given an unfortunate English title. It’s French farce writ large,
companion-comedy of the most unlikely kind, a style of distraction on
which Veber built his career. A gangster is put on trial. An assassin checks in to a hotel opposite the courthouse as a miserably depressed man checks in to the room next door. Right from the get-go it’s clear that there’s trouble ahead, mostly for the assassin whose immediate future will be blind-sided by this titular pain in the arse. When the gloomy man spectacularly fails to hang himself, the assassin steps in if only to divert attention and silence his irritating neighbour. Naturally, it doesn’t work. Veber shoots in a straightforward, unashamedly stagy style, giving his script and actors free reign to do their work. He invests considerable time in setting up a situation laced with the comedy staples of physical humour, double takes and identity confusion; all of which are solidly diverting. A Pain in the Ass doesn’t reach the giddy, satirical heights of The Dinner Game and has more in common with the reliably cruel comedy of films like Tais Toi! or Closet Case. He exploits a rich vein of knockabout humour that frequently gets physical while pushing patience (theirs and ours) to the limit. As this sorry excuse for a man envelops his ex-wife, her new boyfriend and hotel staff in an overwhelming sphere of manipulation, you’ve got to wonder why the assassin didn’t simply shoot his neighbour and put everyone out of his misery. Nonetheless, assuming you have a strong stomach for contrivance and detestable characters, A Pain in the Ass is an engaging amusement. // COLIN FRASER |