The Funniest French Comedies


   

The laughDB database is dedicated to the funniest comedy movies, stand-up comedy and TV series.

This section is for comedies from France. By default they are presented starting with the ones ranking highest on the laugh-o-meter, but you can also sort them by year, title or IMDB rating.


Funniest French Comedies sorted by Laugh-o-meter (descending) / page 1 of 9


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The Dinner Game DVDThe Dinner Game (Le Dîner de Cons)
      1998 | France | Laughs: 9.6 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 7.7
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

A group of upper-class Parisian friends amuse themselves by inviting people they find ludicrous to weekly dinners where the guests don't realize they are the joke of the party. When the group invites a man who has built a replica Eiffel tower with matchsticks, everything goes wrong. If you can handle the French subtitles, you will be rewarded with one of the funniest movies ever.

The Hollywood adaptation (Dinner for Shmucks, 2010) has funny moments, but it's not in the same league. The Indian remake, Bheja Fry, is unbearably dull. (Last viewed: May 2007 August 2011)

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Knock on Wood (La Chèvre)
      1981 | France | Laughs: 8.1 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.4
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Perhaps the second-funniest French comedy ever (after The Dinner Game), starring Pierre Richard and Gérard Depardieu. Pierre Richard plays his trademark character, the clumsy guy. A very cute film with a great number of laughs. Endearing, never nasty. Good English subtitles available online. (Last viewed: Jul 2009 September 2011)

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Supercondriaque posterSupercondriac (Supercondriaque)
      2014 | France | Laughs: 8.0 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.0
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A hypochondriac inserts himself into the life of his doctor, driving him mad, and his wife even more. (If you like this kind of plot, check out What About Bob.) The unhurried set-up was hilarious. About halfway through the movie, when they started to inject a plot, I braced myself for the end of the laughs as that's typically what happens — more action, less comedy. But they managed to keep the fun until the end, with few flat moments in between. I can't say that I laughed hard, but I laughed consistently. It had been a long time since a comedy had made me laugh so much. Don't miss this one.

Edit: on my first rewatch eight years later, I was surprised to see that it still worked for me. As of mid-September, it's the funniest movie I've watched in all of 2022.

(Last viewed: Aug 2014 September 2022)

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Bienvenue chez les Chtis DVDWelcome to the Sticks (Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis)
      2008 | France | Laughs: 8.0 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.1
      wikipedia | who was involved?

The manager of a post office in the South of France dreams of getting transferred to a town by the Mediterranean. Instead, he gets transferred to the very North of France, which to him and his family sounds like the ultimate nightmare. This is a great movie. It delivers laughter at a solid pace, and the story is excellent. At least half of the humor stems from the very odd accent spoken by the congenial northerners, and you may need a good command of French to fully enjoy that. Nevertheless, even if it were half the movie that it is, this would still be a very decent watch. I was impressed to learn that Dany Boon, who was excellent in The Valet, was not only one of the main actors, but also wrote and directed the movie. (Last viewed: October 2012)

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2 Days in Paris DVD2 Days in Paris
      2007 | France | Laughs: 8.0 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

After an Italian vacation, a French woman who lives in New York and her American boyfriend stop in Paris for two days, enough time for the man to realize there is much he doesn't know about his girlfriend. This plot summary surely doesn't sound hilarious, but this movie make my partner and I laughed consistently. Not only did Julie Delpy star in this comedy, she also wrote it, directed it and edited it, showing great skill in all departments. Apart from the laughs, I found the movie excellent as a whole, which thrilled me for Julie Delpy, whose career I've been following since seeing her in 1986 in a beautiful movie called Bad Blood, never suspecting her of having an above-average brain. In French comedies, Americans are often rough caricatures, and so are Frenchmen in US and UK comedies. In contrast, in this movie, the characters, situations and cultural gaps are genuine, thanks to Julie Delpy who, having moved to the States as a young woman, is bilingual and bi-cultural. If you are remotely interested in both cultures, don't miss this very funny movie. The sequel is more cartoonish but not as funny. (Last viewed: October 2012)

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OSS 117 Lost in Rio DVDOSS 117: Lost in Rio (OSS 117: Rio ne répond plus)
      2009 | France | Laughs: 7.9 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.9
      wikipedia | who was involved?

The second installment to the spoof spy series introduced by OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies. This time, agent OSS 117 travels to Brazil in search of a former Nazi. The first hour is very funny. I enjoy that the hero has the shortcomings of a caricature's Frenchman: self-imbued, sexist, vaguely racist and yet charming. As in many movies where the plot serves no other purpose than to animate characters in order to make viewers laugh, the last thirty minutes are a wasteland resulting from the writers' effort to unravel that plot, and could easily be skipped from a comedic standpoint. (Last viewed: October 2012)

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Le Coup du ParapluieThe Umbrella Coup (Le Coup du Parapluie)
      1980 | France | Laughs: 7.8 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.7
      wikipedia | who was involved?

An unemployed actor on his way to an audition walks into the wrong room and believes he lands a big role, though in fact he has been hired by a mobster to eliminate a rival. A very decent French farce with Pierre Richard, along themes reminiscent of his great role in the Tall Blond series. (Last viewed: April 2013)

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Les Malheurs D'Alfred DVDLes Malheurs D'Alfred
      1972 | France | Laughs: 7.7 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.1
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A man who is afflicted with pathological bad luck somehow gets hired to compete as part of a team on a series of TV shows opposing Paris to provincial towns. Here we see Pierre Richard cultivating the "unlucky guy" character that would culminate in La Chèvre ten years later. Low expectations, high reward: a charming, sweet, sometimes very funny movie. (Last viewed: April 2013)

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OSS 177: Cairo, Nest of Spies DVDOSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (Le Caire, Nid d'Espions)
      2006 | France | Laughs: 7.7 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.1
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Many American movies poke fun at the French, as do many British comedies. But few people in the English-speaking world suspect that the French are perhaps the best at making fun of the French. OSS 117 tells the adventures of a boorish, culturally-insensitive spy on a mission in Cairo. In many comedies, the laughs peak early. OSS 117 starts slow but ends strong. On the "goof" side, I was surprised to hear the actors count in Moroccan Arabic rather than Egyptian Arabic (jouj for "two" instead of itnayn). If you enjoy this movie, run to the sequel. (Last viewed: November 2010)

More About OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies:
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Inspecteur la Bavure DVDInspector Blunder (Inspecteur la Bavure)
      1980 | France | Laughs: 7.6 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.3
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A young inspector who entered the force at the bottom of his class finds himself saddled with a journalist who sets up a high-profile scheme to meet a man she fantasizes about, an attention-seeking criminal (Gérard Depardieu). The plot's long set-up (when one gets to know the character) is really funny. As often with this kind of film, when the director decides that it's time for something to happen, the comic value drops near zero, while the action fails to capture your interest. I'll watch it again as the main actor (Coluche) is a delightful comedian. (Last viewed: October 2011)

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Viens chez Moi, J'Habite Chez une Copine DVDCome to My Place, I live at a Girlfriend's (Viens chez Moi, J'Habite chez une Copine)
      1981 | France | Laughs: 7.6 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.3
      who was involved?

After losing his job, a chronic sociopath moves in with his best friend and his wife. In their small apartment, the little man soon takes a lot of space, always asking what's for dinner and bringing home a different girl every night. Without intending to, he gradually wrecks his friends' lives. If you enjoyed the 1980s and tolerate subtitles, then try out this little gem from the past. (Last viewed: June 2012)

More About Come to My Place, I live at a Girlfriend's:
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La Moutarde me Monte au Nez DVDLa Moutarde me Monte au Nez
      1974 | France | Laughs: 7.5 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.5
      who was involved?

Through a series of misunderstandings, a small-town math teacher is reported to be the lover of a foreign movie star. This comedy starts weak but gains momentum and delivers a few good laughs during the second half. I was thrilled to recognize in the headmaster the brilliant Colonel from The Battle of Algiers, an unforgettable documentary. A good surprise from a little-known film. (Last viewed: April 2013)

More About La Moutarde me Monte au Nez:
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Circulez Y A Rien A VoirCirculez Y A Rien A Voir
      1983 | France | Laughs: 7.4 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 5.1
      who was involved?

After a pair of unlikely cops make a routine call at a posh house, one of them becomes obsessed with the lady owner and starts tailing her instead of doing his job. This is a lovely 1980s comedy with very funny moments, particularly in the first half, as you might expect, and fine performances by Michel Blanc and Jacques Villeret, though the latter is underused. Vastly underrated—I was glad to discover it. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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La Vérité Si Je Mens DVDWould I Lie to You? (La Vérité si je mens !)
      1997 | France | Laughs: 7.3 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.4
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Mistaken for a Jew, a jobless man is given a break by a succesful Paris tailor. A trip into the world of France's Sephardic Jews. Very funny. (Last viewed: February 2011)

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La Vérité Si Je Mens 2 DVDWould I Lie to You? 2 (La Vérité si je mens ! 2)
      1997 | France | Laughs: 7.2 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.3
      who was involved?

Surprisingly, this sequel is a tad funnier than the original thanks to beautiful writing and splendid acting. Too many sub plots to summarize this rich movie, in which Eddie and his friends try to break into mass retail. Only regret: the disappearance of the original Dov (Vincent Elbaz) and Sandra's dad (Richard Bohringer of Diva). This is partly offset by the entry of Gad Elmaleh. (Last viewed: February 2011)

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(This section: Funniest French Comedies)
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Buy me a coffee

1-2 of 2 Threads
Andy
February 13, 2018 - 02:29
Subject: RE: The Dinner Game

Hi Roy, Thank you for that fantastic tip! I'll look for that movie. :-)
savvas – cyprus
April 29, 2014 - 03:28
Subject: French filmography

Very useful page to inform us about French filmography, keep on doing a nice job.


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