Rating: 
Summary: Les Visiteurs
Review: "Les Visiteurs" (1993).I saw this film in letterbox format on Showtime Cable in June 1999. (The title sequences on the NTSC/VHS version are letterbox, but the bulk of the film is panned and scanned.) I must have tuned in 10 or 15 minutes after the opening. It is the funniest film I have ever seen. I had to consider whether this could actually be true, because I laughed so hard that I could not always read the subtitles due to my tears! What I like about this film is its playful absurdity. (I never liked the "screwball comedy" genre until this film.) The writers and actors seem to have an excellent sense of history, modern as well as medieval and of human nature. The premise is unbelievable, but is presented early in the film. The humanity, in particular the willingness of the characters to learn, to try new things and new language, is very naturally presented. This is what makes the film work. I am reminded of Peter Sellers in his 1979 film "Being There". An unbelievable premise made believable and entertaining by the naturalness of the characters in an unnatural context. This film has profanity and violence which may be inappropriate for younger audiences. It contains medieval French which may produce interesting side effects for students of French who use this film as a motivational study aid! I understand that a French language only version is available for U.S. (NTSC) players and that the 1996 sequel "Les Visiteurs 2" is also available, without subtitles. I also understand that the original cast will remake the film in 2000 entirely in English. Somehow, despite my absent French, I cannot imagine how this film could be improved upon. We will see.
Rating:
Summary: Smart comedy, slapstick with a French knack (knight?)
Review: A very funny French comedy, this movie, and its sequel, was a huge hit in France. A medieval knight (Jean Reno, of "The Professional" and "Godzilla" fame) and his servant (Christian Clavier, a famous French comic actor, unknown abroad) got magically transported forward in time to the XXth century, where he meets his descendants - and tries to adjust to our modern world, from the mysteries of running water and flushing toilets, to those of modern women and the free pursuit of life and happiness for all. The pace never slacks, the movie offers a series of sight gags, as well as a number of more tongue-in-cheek and even (gasp) intellectual jokes and double-entendres -along w/ some "profound" reflexions slickly intertwined w/in the storyline. The movie can be approached at several levels, from the basic visceral to the high-fallutin', and has appeal to different audiences - and viewers' moods. The language is precious (difference between old French and modern French) but there's enough situational and sight humour in there that even non-French speakers should find the movie enjoyable. The U.S. remake, albeit with the same main actors, was not quite on a par, as seems to be too often the case. I felt it favored the slapstick, and neglected the more subtle undertones that the original managed to carry as well. If I have to pick a nit, it would be that that the DVD doesn't offer more Special features - but the movie is well-worth the purchase (or rental :-) anyway. Pick a bottle of wine and some good cheese, and make an evening of it!
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific comic acting can't redeem unfunny time-travel farce
Review: Comedy is a notoriously xenophobic traveller - happiest at home; always moaning about the people and conveniences abroad. So whereas a squire and his vassal can cross a millenium in time, the jokes and broad humour stay stubbornly rooted in France, leaving foreigners bemused at how 'The Visitors' so tickles the national funny bone. I guess it's the same with the 'Carry On' films: hilarious for us (in the British Isles), meaningless to everyone else. It's not just a case of knowing about French history or culture, but about being attuned to a particular comic tradition and its modes (in this case Parisian street theatre and cafe comedy) - if you don't understand them, how are you going to laugh at them?'The Visitors' is basically a Gallic variation on the old Rip Van Winkle yarn, with a character transplanted from his age, attitudes and manners, and plonked into our own. Seen through an alien's eyes, the everyday world we take for granted becomes fresh and arguably ridiculous. The fact that this alien is a relative, one of 'us', makes the gap between his age and ours more pointed. So although the medieval realm Jean Reno's knight bestrides is muddy, violent, war-mongering, and socially unjust, it allows for a nobility, honesty, friendship and bravery that has no place in our world. When Reno in 1993 takes a bath in his underclothes, dumping thousands of francs worth of salts and ointments, it is we who look silly, not him, with our pointless waste, and obsessive preference for clean bodies over clean souls. Our world may be more democratic, the peasants may be allowed take over the castle, the French Revolution may have smashed the ancien regime, but a rigid social structure remains in place, there is still a hierarchy of social dependence in which some people get to give orders and others have to take them. 'Visitors' makes a case for the continuity of history, the presence of the past in a present that would deny or break away from it - the hidden dungeon in the converted hotel is a kind of unconscious suppressed by the national ego. Typically, women are at the root of social disruption - it is a witch who causes Reno and Clavier to be hurtled through time; it is the tramp Lady Ginette who encourages Clavier to overturn his social position. Medieval military violence translates into modern police brutality. The most disappointing thing about 'Visitors' is the simplistic level of the comic material, the repeated resort to the obvious. There is none of the clash of or inventive delight in linguistic registers you find in Raymond Queneau's 'The Blue Flowers', another story about a medieval knight rampaging through history towards the present. It's a real shame, because the actors are delightful - Reno's mud-spattered aristocracy never becomes foolish; Clavier in a double role alternates gross-out earthiness with an absurd sophistication; Valerie Lemercier is the uptight snob who learns to see new possibilities; and Christian Bujeau as her exasperated husband is a rare example of the straight man getting all the laughs.
Rating:
Summary: funniest ever!
Review: Do whatever you have to, to see this movie before it slips between the cracks of undeserved obscurity.
Rating:
Summary: one of the funniest movies ever
Review: don't speak french? don't like subtitles? believe me it doesn't matter, the reactions of the actors alone would keep you laughing the whole movie through. Add a wonderful cast with great chemistry and you have one of the funniest movies ever made in the world, buy it rent it, share it, it's a keeper!
Rating: 
Summary: Quirky Fun
Review: Ever since I saw "The Professional" I've been impressed by Jean Reno and have been waiting to see more of his work. I just saw on cable the film "Just Visiting", the english remake of this French version, I got many laughs out of the film and Christina Applegate is always easy on the eyes. So I wanted to see the original. The Visitors, is a good movie, no doubt about it, but, I prefered the english remake. The DVD is very limited without any real extra features. Great for french students, because you can turn off the english subtitles. I don't regret the purchase but, it seems a bit pricey for what you get.
Rating:
Summary: Jean Reno is great!
Review: Ever since I saw "The Professional" I've been impressed by Jean Reno and have been waiting to see more of his work. I just saw on cable the film "Just Visiting", the english remake of this French version, I got many laughs out of the film and Christina Applegate is always easy on the eyes. So I wanted to see the original. The Visitors, is a good movie, no doubt about it, but, I prefered the english remake. The DVD is very limited without any real extra features. Great for french students, because you can turn off the english subtitles. I don't regret the purchase but, it seems a bit pricey for what you get.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: First 10 minutes a little boring, but the rest of the movie is histerical. Very very funny.
Rating: 
Summary: Medieval fun?
Review: Godefroy de Papincourt (Jean Reno) has recently saved the king and he finally gets the kings approval to marry the love of his life. However, something goes horribly wrong after a witch has poisoned his wine pouch. Godefroy decides to get help from his fathers wizard who is suffering from mild senility in order to correct the previous error. And again something goes wrong, terribly wrong. Visitors is a light hearted comedy with both slap-stick humor and witty dialogues that entertains young and old.
Rating:
Summary: Medieval fun¿
Review: Godefroy de Papincourt (Jean Reno) has recently saved the king and he finally gets the kings approval to marry the love of his life. However, something goes horribly wrong after a witch has poisoned his wine pouch. Godefroy decides to get help from his fathers wizard who is suffering from mild senility in order to correct the previous error. And again something goes wrong, terribly wrong. Visitors is a light hearted comedy with both slap-stick humor and witty dialogues that entertains young and old.
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