Monsieur Claude is back. The third part of the multicultural comedy also plays with clichés and prejudices. So do the best oranges come from Israel or from Algeria?
Paris – David is fed up with Rachid’s constant nagging about his apple tree. He has a wall built between his garden and that of his brother-in-law, who is of Arabic descent. What else? In Israel, David’s homeland, there is also a wall to protect against attacks from Palestine.
With “Monsieur Claude and his big party”, the culture clash comedy by director Philippe de Chauveron with France’s star comedian Christian Clavier is coming back to the cinemas.
This time again, prejudices and clichés meet head-on in the multicultural comedy, only to dissolve into absurdity and insight, as always. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether the third adventure can build on the success of its predecessors, who, with a lot of tongue in cheek, push the topic of racism to the limits of what is acceptable or “political correctness”.
Parents are also invited
Claude and Marie have been married for almost 40 years. An anniversary that her daughters Isabelle, Odile, Ségolène and Laure want to celebrate with a big surprise party. The parents of their husbands from Algeria, China, Israel and the Ivory Coast are also said to come. Because Claude’s daughters have married men of different religions and countries of origin.
Her father Claude, in particular, struggles with his multicultural sons-in-law. But Rachid, David, Chao Ling and Charles also never miss an opportunity to throw racist hate at each other. Since their parents don’t tick much differently, they fear the very worst at the family reunion. And so violent saber rattling is announced.
With more than 12 million viewers in France, “Monsieur Claude and his Daughters” (original: Qu’est-ce qu’on a fait au Bon Dieu?) became one of the biggest box office hits of French cinema in 2014. In Germany, the comedy attracted around four million people. The sequel with “Monsieur Claude 2” was also successful in 2019 – even if there were around 5 million fewer viewers.
There is scolding and arguing
And so in “Monsieur Claude and his big party” everything comes as it must. They insult and insult each other and argue about whether the best oranges come from Israel or from Algeria, whether Charles as a black man can play Jesus in his play and who can or should sleep where in Claude and Marie’s chic property. Due to lack of space, one of the couples who have arrived has to camp in the inflatable yurt invented by David, as the traditional tent of the nomads in Central Asia is called.
Rather unexpectedly, the German art dealer Helmut Schäfer turns up. At the vernissage of Ségolène with her macabre pictures, he falls in love with Marie, who is many years his senior. He worships her as his Valkyrie, even toying with the memory of forcibly snatching her from her husband Claude at the surprise party.
This time the chaos is perfect again. And also the happy ending. But you can’t avoid a “déjà vu” effect. The comedy has lost some of its allure and charm in its third part. The unexpected impudence has become an expected impropriety, which one can’t help feeling like the weapons are being sharpened less violently.
But like its predecessors, the film cannot be denied the performance of its actors, above all Christian Clavier as Claude and Chantal Lauby as Marie, nor its entertainment value. In France, the multicultural comedy has drawn more than 2.4 million viewers to cinemas since it was released in early April.
Monsieur Claude and his big party, France, 2021, 99 minutes, FSK oA, by Philippe de Chauveron, with Christian Clavier, Chantal Lauby, Alice David dpa
