The Funniest French Comedies

My Best Friend's Girl (La Femme de mon Pote)
      1983 | France | Laughs: 4.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 5.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

This movie is set in a ski resort, where a disc-jockey with a plain physique falls in love with the girlfriend of his best friend, who is classically handsome. I had never seen this story in a movie before, at least not told in this way. The movie is surprisingly good, and it features two actors who are well-suited for each other. One of them, Coluche, was a comical genius. (Last viewed: September 2012)

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The Spanish Apartment (a.k.a Pot Luck) (L'Auberge Espagnole)
      2002 | France | Laughs: 4.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.3
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A young man goes to Spain on an exchange program for a year and forms fast friendship. This is a terrific movie that perfectly captures emotions from a special time of life—or perhaps from several periods of life, for some. This is a not a laugh-out-loud comedy, hence the low ranking on this site. But I loved it.

The two sequels—Russian Dolls and Chinese Puzzle are also entertaining, but less tight. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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The Wing and the Thigh (L'Aile ou la Cuisse)
      1980 | France | Laughs: 3.8 (Chuckle) | imdb: 7.2
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Another subtitled comical treasure from the land of camembert. The aging owner of the prestigious Duchemin culinary guide uses all his cunning to foil the plans of a packaged food moghul. With two comic actors at their peak (Louis de Funès and Coluche), this movie makes you laugh without a hint of profanity. It was a real treat to discover this little gem 30 years after it came out.

Edit: Watched it again seven years again. Chuckled but didn't laugh: I'm confused about how my earlier rating of 9.5. On a positive note, was pleased to notice the presence of the actor who played the general in The Battle of Algiers. Still an entertaining watch. (Last viewed: Oct 2011 September 2018)

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The Seventh Company Has Been Found (On A Retrouvé La 7ème Compagnie)
      1975 | France | Laughs: 3.8 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.7
      who was involved?

During World War 2, a trio of fumbling French soldiers keeps escaping from their German captors, only to be recaptured shortly thereafter. Although this is far a side-splitter, it's clean and entertaining enough for an idle evening. It's one of those rare cases where the sequel is far funnier than the original—but that wasn't hard. The third installment is even better. (Last viewed: August 2014)

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A Pain in the... (L'Emmerdeur)
      1973 | France | Laughs: 3.7 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 7.1
      wikipedia | who was involved?

One of the early tries of Francis Veber, the director who would later create The Dinner Game, one of the funniest movies ever. In fact, these two movies' main characters have the same name (François Pignon), but the man who plays him here (Jacques Brel, a famous singer) was never meant to act. The 2008 remake is not much better. (Last viewed: October 2010)

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A Pain in the A (L'emmerdeur)
      2008 | France | Laughs: 3.6 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 5.4
      who was involved?

Thirty-five years later, Francis Veber shot a remake of his own movie (see above). It's still not funny. (Last viewed: October 2010)

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Ma Femme S'Appelle Reviens
      1982 | France | Laughs: 3.6 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 5.4
      who was involved?

A doctor whose wife recently left moves in next door to a woman who is having romantic troubles. If you think you already know what's going to happen (as I would if you told me this is the plot), you will be pleased to discover that the movie doesn't follow the expected formulas. I found this little film funny (but not hilarious) and delightfully surprising, unlike those comedies where the action runs by the numbers. (Last viewed: September 2013)

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The Toy (Le Jouet)
      1976 | France | Laughs: 3.6 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 7.5
      who was involved?

Another of Francis Veber's early films. Asked to choose a toy, the spoiled son of a magazine owner demands to bring home one of the reporters. The main actor (Pierre Richard) is very funny in movies such as The Tall Blond and La Chèvre, but this film makes poor use of his talents. (Last viewed: December 2010)

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Heartbreaker (L'Arnacoeur)
      2010 | France | Laughs: 3.5 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.7
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A man, his sister and her husband run a break-up agency whose business it is to change the hearts of future brides. One assignment days before the wedding in Monaco proves harder than usual. I found this romantic comedy original and entertaining—it had me smiling throughout. (Last viewed: August 2014)

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Don't Know Anything But I'll Tell All (Je Sais Rien Mais Je Dirai Tout)
      1973 | France | Laughs: 3.5 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 5.6
      who was involved?

The son of a weapon industry magnate is filled with humanistic and social values, but his high-society upbringing makes him awkward when he tries to bond with the workers whose plight he aspires to improve. This little film has some good moments. It also has moments when it goes into a chaotic dimension where few can follow, with fast, loud, incoherent dialogue. Instead of amusing me, these moments put me in a slumber from which it was hard to recover. Overall, it's a "skip". (Last viewed: August 2013)

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Straight into the Wall (Droit dans le Mur)
      1997 | France | Laughs: 3.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 4.9
      who was involved?

As he rehearses for a minor theatrical role, a formerly successful actor has a hard time juggling his jobs, the girlfriend he is unable to dump, and his wife with whom he would like to reconcile. Although this is hardly Pierre Richard at his best, the movie is far more entertaining than the dismal imdb rating would suggest. Indeed, the actors perform well, and the plot is not noticeably weaker than in many better-known French comedies. Worth watching once if you're a fan of the lead actor—otherwise definitely skip. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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ComDads (Les Compères)
      1983 | France | Laughs: 3.4 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia | who was involved?

French movie that reunites Pierre Richard and Gérard Depardieu from La Chèvre, but without reigniting the laughs. The script is to blame, not the actors. Two men travel to the south of France to retrieve a teenage boy, whom they both take to be their son. Cute, a few laughs. Worth a watch if you're not in a demanding mood and don't mind French subtitles. (Last viewed: July 2010)

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Rob the Bank (Faites Sauter la Banque)
      1964 | France | Laughs: 3.2 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.7
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Talked by the owner of the bank across the street into making a ruinous investment, the owner of a hunting shop enlists his wife, son and two daughters to dig a tunnel from their cellar to the bank's vault. Few black-and-white comedies from over fifty years ago are still pleasant to watch, I find, but this is one of them. This charming movie from another time probably won't make you laugh, but it may leave you with a smile. (Last viewed: September 2012)

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The Big Restaurant (Le Grand Restaurant)
      1966 | France | Laughs: 3.2 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

The owner of a top Parisian restaurant gets embroiled in the kidnapping of a foreign head of State. The first ten minutes are pretty funny, but the rest of the movie has humor in first gear. Nevertheless, it's cute, though a bit long. The film's best feature may well be the scenes of Paris before the explosion of global retail turned it into a suburb of Chicago. The streets are almost empty—at the time Europe's population must have been about half what it is now. It's eerie. There's also a cute scene at the snow. It must have been sweet to be an adult in those years, though that would have meant living through the war. (Last viewed: September 2012)

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The Do-Gooders (Les Parrains)
      2005 | France | Laughs: 3.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 5.7
      who was involved?

Three former criminals are reunited when their old companion bequeaths them the lost diamonds from their last venture—under the condition that they track down his son and give him his share of the loot. Between Gérard Lanvin from numerous bad boy roles, Gérard Darmon from Diva and Betty Blue, and Jacques Villeret from The Dinner Game, the casting of the three scumbags couldn't have been better. It's a shame no one told the producers to buy a decent script. I laughed once. With Villeret now gone, I feel sad about this wasted chance for an epic comedy. (Last viewed: August 2013)

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