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Summary
One Christmas Eve, the staff of "SOS Détresse", a Paris-based social services team,
have their hands full. Unaware that their colleague Madame Musquin is trapped
in the elevator, Pierre and Thérèse man the phones and try to console the
capital's depressed and distressed. An obviously pregnant woman, Zézette,
suddenly arrives at their office, demanding sanctuary from her violent husband, Félix,
who is close behind her. Pierre and Thérèse eventually manage to subdue
Félix - who is still dressed in his working clothes as a street Father Christmas
- and he ends up in hospital. Pierre then receives a personal visit from one of
his clients, Katia, a manic transvestite who thinks he/she has found Mr Right. The
series of "catastrophes" reaches its climax when Félix appears unexpectedly, brandishing
a gun. In the ensuing crisis, Katia is nearly crippled, Pierre makes an honest woman
of Thérèse, a lift repairman is killed, and Félix and Zézette
devise an ingenious method for disposing of a dead body...
Review
One of the most controversial comic films to have been made in France in the 1980s, Le
Père Noël est une ordure has since matured (as a fine wine might) into
one of that country's most highly regarded cult classics. Admittedly, the film’s
caustic humour is unlikely to appeal to all tastes, and some spectators will undoubtedly
be shocked by the grotesquely caricaturised treatment which is meted out to such unfortunate
individuals as beaten housewives and suicidal depressives. (Advice to a man holding
a gun to his head: "Just press the button...") However, the film does have
a serious side and, far from being a "sick flick", it makes some profound, albeit provocative,
observations on contemporary life.
What Le Père Noël est une ordure is trying to point out - possibly
- are the hypocrises which are rife in our society, especially during the Christmas season.
The cynicism and ineptness of a Samaritans-like social services team reflects a world
where people respond to the misfortune of others mechanically, without compassion or commitment.
The glitzy fairytale like opening to the film soon fades away to expose the grim reality
of life which is lived by those on the margins - financial insecurity, domestic violence,
personal disorders, and worse.
For those who are not easily offended, Le Père Noël est une ordure
is a hugely funny film which deserves its classic status. Brilliantly scripted and
sublimely acted, it manages to be both entertaining and thought-provoking, without getting
overwhelmed by the depressing nature of its subject and without going too far in the direction
of indecency.
The film was directed by Jean-Marie Poiré, who later went on to achieve an enormous
popular success with Les Visiteurs
(1993). It was based on a successful stage play which was written and performed
by that remarkable team of comic performers, L’Équipe du Splendid, most of whom
appear in this film and many of whom have since gone on to become mega-celebrities in
France. With so many talented performers - incuding Thierry Lhermitte, Christian
Clavier, Anémone , Josiane Balasko, Marie-Anne Chazel and Gérard Jugnot
- all perfect in their roles and all giving no less than 100 per cent, Le Père
Noël est une ordure is a film to savour - almost (but not quite) a comic masterpiece.
© James Travers 2003
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