Pot Luck Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

EU DIRECTIVE: 1 2C BT NT GR8

The EEC/the EC/the EU has been around for a long time now but this is the only film about it I know of (yet I don't have an exhaustive film knowledge). A French exchange student arrives in a Barcelona flat, which becomes increasingly crowded as people from different European countries join the party. Their idiosyncracies makes this a 'comedy of manners'. The Brits get the most, though justified, ribbing: both our contempt for our fellow Europeans (a hard-working German student is bated by an English lad with a Basil Fawlty-style Hitler imitation) and our loving, ‘special relationship’ with the USA (the lad’s sister ends up in bed with in an ‘oafish’ American). This film was very popular in France when it came out and made director Cedric Klapisch’s name (so it says in the Wikepedia entry on it, which also states that the film’s international title was ‘Euro Pudding’). Yet for me the film’s sometimes quirky style falls just short of effective, its humour falls just short of funny, and its plot falls just short of interesting. It seemed to be the result of an EU committee discussion on how to give our beloved Super State a human face. Or, at least, to satisfy the requirements and stipulations of an EU film-sponsorship grant form. In short, a bit of a Euro Pudding.

delightful

A real joy. Memories of Barcelona flooded back, together with all those tricky students sharing together type issues! Very affectionately made, though maybe rather slight on plotline. Well recommended.