Considering how long it has taken me to get around to, and fully appreciate, the comedy greatness of Jacques Tati, I will not be offended at all by anyone choosing to simply overlook my reviews of any of his films. I certainly have nothing majorly insightful or intelligent to add to the conversation, but I've never let that stop me before.
The slim plot once again sees Monsieur Hulot being rather perplexed by elements of modern life, this time in the shape of all the mod-cons present when he visits his sister (Adrienne Servantie), brother-in-law (Jean-Pierre Zola), and his young nephew, Gérard (Alain Bécourt).
Once again collaborating with a couple of other writers (Jacques Lagrange, who worked on all four of the Hulot features, and Jean L'Hôte), Tati may be presenting the exploits of Hulot in colour this time, but everything else is the same as you'd expect. Monsieur Hulot remains surprisingly calm as things around him often go awry, there are many scenes that are shot from a distance that allows viewers to watch the characters flit and whirl around one another in the dance that is modern living, and a number of gags revolve around technology and the difficult time that Hulot has adjusting to it.
The more I see of Tati, the more I appreciate everything that he does in service of the comedy. No one character or exchange is too slight, and even the thinnest of threads can be spun into pure gold. The weaker moments here are the times when Hulot is with Gérard, but even those scenes have enough little gems in them to keep you chuckling away in between the many other highlights.
Although it is slightly irritating to feel so late to the party, in terms of the films themselves and recognising the huge influence of Tati on other comedians and film-makers, I am just happy to now be in the know. Every day is a school day, and I am delighted to have been taught some brilliant lessons on comedy by this master of the form.
While I rate this just a tad below the two other Hulot movies I have seen so far, it’s still absolutely near the top of the comedy tree.
8/10
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