Delightful modern French comedy
What a delightful French comedy. I agree with those reviewers who complemented the producers on the excellent job with the English subtitles. I'm sure that we miss some of the nuances in the spoken dialogs; but I found much humor in the subtitles as done. I don't have sufficient knowledge left from university-learned French and short trips to the Riviera when stationed in the military decades ago to be able to follow the normal dialog in a film. So, having the subtitles sold the movie to me.This is a very good story about people, stereotypes and how our misconceptions can be so wrong and hurt one's understanding of different cultures – even in regions within one's own country. We Americans especially should realize that cultural differences exist between regions of all of the larger European countries – especially France, Germany, Italy and Spain. So, besides the comedy, I found the exploration of this theme very interesting for France. The scenes of the towns, countryside and coast in the far north of France were interesting. It was in this area – from Lille to the English Channel 40 miles (64 km) away, that the major French and British forces were surrounded by superior German units in May 1940. That ended with the Battle of Dunkirk and heroic rescue of 330,000 troops across the channel to England. Of course, Calais is also not far from there, and that's where the German's had concentrated their strength to defend against an Allied invasion from across the English Channel. The land sailing scene was very interesting with Phillipe (played very well by Kad Merad) and Antoine (played very well by Dany Boon). That beach scene must have been shot somewhere close to Dunkirk or Calais.
In America, it's common for people to travel across country, East to West, North to South, and all directions in between. So, it may seem odd that people of southern France should have such a misconception about the climate and weather in the northern part of their country. The movie dispels all of that for the audience. The scenes in the early part of the movie are hilarious. Philippe and his family dread the severe cold he will have to endure, and his son Raphael worried that his day may lose his toes. At first I thought this was intentional exaggeration for the humor, but when Phillipe's wife Julie (played very well by Zoe Felix) buys him a heavy padded winter coat, I wondered if many people in the south of France didn't take such things for real.
So, out of curiosity I did some climate comparisons between Aix-en- Provence and Lille, France. The horizontal distance between the two communities is about 500 miles (800 km). The latitude difference is about 7 degrees from about 30.5 to 43.5 North. The average high and low temperatures for the month of July at Provence are 84 and 64 degrees F. For the same month, the average high and low at Lille is 75 and 57 F. The spread is very close – 20 degrees difference at Provence and 18 degrees different at Lille. But what is most interesting is the difference between the two locales for high and low. Provence averages 7 to 9 degree F warmer during July than Lille. But there is even much less difference during the winter. The average high and low for January at Provence are 52 and 36 F. They are 45 and 36 F at Lille. The difference between the high temperatures for January at Provence and Lille is only 7 degrees F. And there is no difference between the average low for the two locales. Both places average 36 F for the low during January. So, if the people in Lille would lose their toes to the cold, so would the people of Provence. The disparity from high to low in January is greater at Provence – 16 degrees F. For Lille, the disparity is only 9 degrees F. The annual disparity from lowest to highest average is greatest for Provence. The average difference is 48 degrees F. That for Lille is just 39 degrees F. I didn't check precipitation or sunlight, but on the basis of temperature swings alone, Lille in the North has a more moderate climate than does Provence in the South. This is based on data taken off the Internet on January 19, 2015.
I looked for some comparisons in the U.S., but most with exact distances (about 500 miles or 800 kilometers), had major geographic or climate differences that gave far different results. For instance, New Orleans to St. Louis is about 600 horizontal miles (960 km) with a latitude difference of about 70 – the same as between Provence and Lillie, France. But the average high temperatures for July are the same for New Orleans and St. Louis – 90 degrees F. The average lows for July are 76 and 71 degrees F, respectively. The winter temperatures vary the most. The average January high at New Orleans is 62 and at St. Louis it's 38. That's a disparity of 24 degrees F. The average low for January is even more – 47 at New Orleans and 21 at St. Louis. For a 26-degree F spread. So, it's much colder – and truly freezing in January to go from New Orleans to St. Louis in the U.S., than it is for French people to go from Provence to Lille. And remember, St. Louis is hardly in the North of the U.S. While France overall is at a more northern latitude than is the U.S., its climate and temperature ranges are more moderate from region to region.
I just thought some French movie buffs might find that a little interesting. This is a good and most enjoyable film. I heartily recommend it.
score 8/10
SimonJack 19 January 2015
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3166297/35816
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