Film & TV

French Film Festival Review: Papa Ou Maman

The perfect couple hoping for the perfect divorce get offer too good to refuse, but only if they can convince their kids to live with the other parent.

Papa Ou Maman is a brave attempt to create a new take on divorce. Unfortunately, divorce is not really an easy subject to make entertaining and this film does not succeed.

Vincent and Florence Leroy are the perfect couple who have the perfect lives. They have made a success of their careers and marriage, and now hope to proceed with the perfect divorce.

This is the time when Fate decides to step in, offering both of them the career opportunity of a lifetime and therefore expecting each to give up the role of parent. This is an unfortunate result for their three children. The once ideal partners now find themselves at war. Each is ready to do whatever it takes to ensure that the other is made to take custody of the children.

There is nothing wrong with the acting in this film. Laurent Lafitte and Marina Fois deliver creditable performances and make the best of what can only be described as an unfunny script.

The premise of trying to make your child hate them so they choose the other parent has amusing moments (chuckles), but the script carries this premise too far.

The film disintegrates into a series of scenes of child abuse. In one scene the parents actually slap their children (and best friends) across the face. Even in the pretence of a comic situation this does not work.

The blame for this film lies wholly and solely with the script. It tries too hard. Some of the visual moments are mildly amusing, but I did not find myself laughing out loud.

Perhaps I am too politically correct now, but I don’t think so. I find myself rolling with laughter at other movies which are politically incorrect, but not this one, and I don’t think child abuse is entertaining.

The ending was unexpected, but not amusing, and the final line (which should have been a laugh) was a let-down.

The internet definition of comedy is “professional entertainment consisting of jokes and sketches, intended to make an audience laugh.” It didn’t work for me. See if it does for you.

Reviewed by Barry Hill
Twitter: @kinesguy

Rating out of 10:  3

Papa Ou Maman will screen again on 5 April 2016 for Alliance Française French Film Festival, which runs 31 March – 24 April 2016 exclusively at the Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas.

More News

To Top