disgusting, overrated, pointless

A Major Disappointment

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (French: Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot) (1953) 5/10 The first Hulot film, A silent film with music. Awkward angles man, Brilliant slapstick, visual puns. Sketches make Fun in the Sun. Yes, but was oft bored. Politics were distracting, No color, no plot, Too slow, without enough laughs. Love Tati, but not this one. Somonka is a form of poetry that is essentially two tanka poems (the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable format), the second stanza a response to the first. Traditionally, each is a love letter and it requires two authors, but sometimes a poet takes on two personas. My somonka will be a love/hate letter to this film? #Somonka #PoemReview

Monsieur Hulot (Jacques Tati) comes to a beachside hotel for a vacation, where he accidentally (but good-naturedly) causes havoc.The film affectionately lampoons several hidebound elements of French political and economic classes, from chubby capitalists and self-important Marxist intellectuals to petty proprietors and drab dilettantes, most of whom find it nearly impossible to free themselves, even temporarily, from their rigid social roles in order to relax and enjoy life. Is this, in some small way, a precursor to "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie"? On its release in the United States, Bosley Crowther's review said that the film contained "much the same visual satire that we used to get in the 'silent' days from the pictures of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and such as those." Crowther is quite right, and it would be no surprise if Tati used these earlier comedians as his template. His previous film, "Jour de Fete", had all the earmarks of a silent comedy.

Oh, why do I love this movie so much? It must be its bright, sun-drenched beach setting, its sunny disposition, its sweet optimism and untempered innocence, its cheerful, gentle depiction of a bygone era when a disparate group of folk gather to vacation at a funky Gallic seaside resort. Whatever it is, this 1953 farce fills me with joy every time I see it. It was my wide-eyed introduction to French comic Jacques Tati eons ago.It's obvious that Tati was an inveterate people-watcher. He depicts the foibles and peccadilloes of his eclectic array of characters with insight, charm and wit. Tati's view of humanity is both loving and generous. His main character, M. Hulot (played by M. Tati), is a somewhat daffy and eccentric bumbler who interacts with the other characters and lurches about leaving havoc in his wake. There's no plot to speak of, just a series of comic and nostalgic vignettes that segue effortlessly from one to the next.This is the kind of comedy where you feel compelled to recount your favorite funny moments afterwards. Is it the recalcitrant horse, the gravity-prone mass of taffy, the ping-pong ball that propels Hulot to throw a peaceful card game into chaos, Hulot's wildly eccentric, but brutal, tennis serve that decimates his opponents, the deflatable wreath at the funeral, the restless tiger-skin rug, the suspense-ridden trek of the little boy holding the two ice-cream cones? You name your own.I tittered, I chuckled, I laughed heartily and, occasionally, I guffawed. Yet there is a tinge of sadness at the finale as the activities wane, the guests depart and the hotel is shuttered up. Another endless summer finally ends. "See you next year!" is the parting refrain. "See you next time!" I say of this movie treasure.

One of the most famous French comedies of all time, Tati's Monsieur Hulot's Holiday is an interesting farce that explores human nature.Much of the film is filled with slapstick pratfalls and one's enjoyment will depend on how much appreciation one has for that kind of comedy but, more subtly, there is much observational comedy, too, and the film relishes in mocking the traits of certain classes of people who cannot leave their behind the facades of their social roles, even whilst on holiday together.Whether or not one likes his style of comedy, it cannot be denied that Tati's timing is brilliant and the climactic scene involving what lies at the end of the hose proves him to be possibly the unluckiest character of all time.Interestingly, the cinematography is often static and there can be as much occurring to characters in the background as those taking centre stage, again emphasising the observational nature of much of the comedy on display here.Music, lighting and other effects are minimal and the film moves to a light tempo, reflecting the holiday mood, before building to its sudden climax.Ultimately, there is no doubt that this film is greatly overrated, yet it is also a showcase of a certain style of French comedy. Depending on your appreciation for it, you may or may not derive a lot of enjoyment from this film.