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Le dîner de cons (1998) Online

Le dîner de cons (1998) Online
Original Title :
Le dîner de cons
Genre :
Movie / Comedy
Year :
1998
Directror :
Francis Veber
Cast :
Thierry Lhermitte,Jacques Villeret,Francis Huster
Writer :
Francis Veber
Budget :
FRF 82,000,000
Type :
Movie
Time :
1h 20min
Rating :
7.7/10
Le dîner de cons (1998) Online

To amuse themselves at a weekly dinner, a few well-heeled folk each bring a dimwit along who is to talk about his pastime. Each member seeks to introduce a champion dumbbell. Pierre, an avid participant of the game, runs into one problem after another that devilishly compromises his secrets, turning the tables on him and his objective, which diverges as the movie progresses. Firstly, wishing to be certain he has selected a winner, he invited his guest, Mr. Pignon, to meet him at home before setting off; but night of all nights, Pierre has put his back out and it is questionable whether he can manage to get to the dinner. The blundering Mr. Pignon will continually spring forward to help relieve Pierre of his troubles, which have drastically compounded, pointing in the direction of friends, taxes and women, and Pierre's dimwit Pignon accordingly will prove his substance to the end.
Cast overview, first billed only:
Thierry Lhermitte Thierry Lhermitte - Pierre Brochant
Jacques Villeret Jacques Villeret - François Pignon
Francis Huster Francis Huster - Juste Leblanc
Daniel Prévost Daniel Prévost - Lucien Cheval
Alexandra Vandernoot Alexandra Vandernoot - Christine Brochant
Catherine Frot Catherine Frot - Marlène Sasseur
Benoît Bellal Benoît Bellal - Host 1
Jacques Bleu Jacques Bleu - Host 3
Philippe Brigaud Philippe Brigaud - Tanner (boomerang thrower)
Michel Caccia Michel Caccia - Guest 1
Laurent Gendron Laurent Gendron - Guest 2
Mykhaël Georges-Schar Mykhaël Georges-Schar - Host 2
Edgar Givry Edgar Givry - Cordier
Pierre-Arnaud Juin Pierre-Arnaud Juin - Boissonade
Daniel Martin Daniel Martin - Messignac

Francis Veber's play premiered at the Théâtre des Variétés on 17-9-1993. Jacques Villeret played Pignon 600 times.

Gérard Depardieu was considered for the role of Pierre Brochant.

Francis Veber: [François Pignon] features a likeable idiot called François Pignon.


User reviews

Vobei

Vobei

This is a very intelligent, hilarious, and slightly poignant movie. The 'dinner' of the title is a regular gathering at which some smug young Parisian gentlemen compete to invite the most amusingly ridiculous character as their guest. Pierre Brochant (Thierry Lhermitte) believes he has a sure winner in François Pignon (played brilliantly by Jacques Villeret) whose passion is the construction of intricate models from matchsticks. Ironically, it is Brochant who ends up looking the fool, morally if not intellectually. And it is the slightly sad but hilarious antihero Pignon who emerges as far the wiser of the two. Despite the premise, which seems to offends some delicate souls, this is a very humane, as well as witty, movie.
Dawncrusher

Dawncrusher

"Le Diner de Cons" is one of those great comedies that the French know really well how to produce: The action is fast, the scenes are hilarious, and the viewer just can't stop laughing as totally extraordinary things happen in totally ordinary circumstances. The mastery in this type of films is that they need not be big-budget productions ("LDdC" has been actually shot mostly inside a single apartment), while they manage to achieve a very high rating for their impeccable viewing pleasure they bring to us.

"LDdC" is about a group of rather cruel friends, who have fun by organizing dinners in which they invite idiots and get amused by them. The winner is the one who will bring the biggest idiot, and Pierre (Lhermitte) thinks he was found the world champion in the face of Francois Pignon (Villeret). He therefore decides to invite him in his house for a drink, and then take him to the dinner. However, things do not go as planned, as during Pignot's stay in Pierre's house unbelievable things begin to happen...

Villeret is simply amazing in his role as Pignon, standing above everyone else in this film. This should not mean that the other performances are not good, however: In fact, everyone does a good job, despite the fact that most actors perform very short appearances.

"LDdC" is a movie that will make you laugh, but in fact, it will also make you think; behind the fun, the film conveys a very humane and meaningful message. Don't miss it! 9/10.
Zehaffy

Zehaffy

Before this film was released in 1998, it was, originally, a play. This play was performed on stage in 1993 and had a huge success. Francis Weber felt like adapting his play (he was the author) for the screen and he had a good idea. The action takes place in a beautiful Parisian flat. Pierre Brochant (Thierry Lhermitte) lives there and each week, he and his friends take part in a special dinner: a "dîner de cons". They've got to invite someone silly and the one who has found the best dumb is the winner of the evening. Brochant has chosen François Pignon (Jacques Villeret) and before going to the dinner, Brochant has invited him in his flat. Then, in a few minutes, everything's wrong: his wife's leaving him, he's got a backache, he's got to face his mistress etc.... and Pignon is a bit responsible for this! There are two main types of comic in this film: on one hand the comic comes from the dialogues which are very funny with a lot of successful puns. Moreover they're never vulgar. On the other hand, the comic comes from the situation where Brochant is: not only has he got to face Pignon but he's got to face unexpected events like the arrival of a fiscal inspector (Daniel Prévost). Above all, the film is worth watching for its incredible main actors: Lhermitte who is the perfect hypocrite and Villeret who is full of goodwill and kindness in spite of its idiocy and its naivety (in 1999, he won the Oscar for the best actor in France and he deserved it). Moreover, the other actors are very well used, especially Francis Huster and Daniel Prévost who are both excellent. The only weaknesses of this film are the moment where Prévost comes in Brochant's flat and then the plot is resolved very laboriously. The other moment is when Pignon is calling Mrs Brochant to tell her his real thoughts about her husband: you've got a quite conventional dialogue. Nevertheless, if you want to have a good time, watch this comedy it's worth watching!
Agantrius

Agantrius

A group of well-to-do snobbish and obnoxious professionals have dinner parties every Wednesday to which each of them is required to bring an "idiot" as a guest. The victims have no idea that they are invited merely to be humiliated and their boorish "sponsors" compare their notes later to determine whose "idiot" was the best. Pierre Brochant( Thierry Lhermitte), the smug publisher thinks that he's got a winner in the tax accountant François Pignon (Jacques Villeret, sadly passed away in January 2005 - great French Comedian whose performance in "Robert and Robert" I enjoyed very much) who reproduces the famous landmarks with the matchsticks and would talk about them with never ending enthusiasm. Unfortunately for Pierre (but fortunately for us, the viewers) he throws his back just before the dinner and has to rely to Pignon's sincere generosity. The tables are turned and look who is an idiot after all...

With the modest running time of 80 minutes, the "Dinner Game" is a delightful and very funny comedy. I would not expect anything else from Francis Veber, the director of Le Jouet, (1976) aka The Toy , La Chèvre, (1981) aka Knock On Wood, Les Compères, (1983) ... aka ComDads, and Les Fugitifs, (1986) and the writer for Le Grand blond avec une chaussure noire, (1972) ... aka The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe.
Arcanefire

Arcanefire

I'll keep it short and sweet. This movie was hilarious - even if you've never watched a French movie in your life, this is one of the quirkiest movies you'll ever see. I was laughing the entire time. The acting was good and the directing average. But the writing and screenplay were absolutely fantastic. You don't need to know French to watch it as long as you can get your hands on a copy with subtitles. Many foreign movies require you pay attention to the imagery, etc., thus making it hard for those needing subtitles. In this one the script carries the movie. I watched Le Diner de cons about 5 or 6 years ago, and it definitely sparked my interest in foreign movies 10/10
FireWater

FireWater

"Le dîner de cons (Dinner Game)" is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. I have been watching it for more than twenty (20) times, and every time I could capture new details and see it under new angles, making me laugh again and again. Jacques Villeret (aka Francois Pignon) and Thierry Lhermitte (aka Pierre Brochant) both play great roles and I particularly liked a couple of scenes (plus many others): 1) where Francois Pignon has been asked to call Just Leblanc and received very confusing explanation from Pierre Brochant about how someone's name could be "just" Leblanc and 2) of course the phone discussion itself where finally Francois Pignon makes a movie production deal with Just Leblanc, but eventually forgot to mention Pierre's wife... Lots of hilarious situations and true overall Chef d'Oeuvre!
The Rollers of Vildar

The Rollers of Vildar

The wealthy editor Pierre Brochant (Thierry Lhemitte) and his friends have a competition: every Wednesday, each one of them invites the dumbest jackass he can find for a dinner, where each one of the guests is invited to talk about himself as much as possible. Later, after the guests say goodbye, the group of friends makes fun and elects the more stupid and imbecile guest. Pierre invites François Pignon (Jacques Villeret), a man that works in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and makes "maquettes" of matches to forget his beloved wife, who had went away with a friend of him two years ago, for the dinner. However, a tough pain in one vertebra of his spinal column does not allow Pierre to meet his friends for the game and he stays alone with solicitous, but clumsy and stupid François in his apartment. Every attempt of François helping Pierre goes wrong, becoming the night of Pierre a terrible nightmare.

"Le Diner de Cons" is a witty theatrical movie, practically set in the room of an apartment. However, on the contrary of what a reader may think, it is one of the best comedies I have ever seen, and I do not recall the last time I have laughed this way. The work of Jacques Villeret as an authentic jackass, with a stupid grin and trying to help Pierre, is amazing. The dialogs and situations are very intelligent and hilarious. I highly recommend this film, awarded with three "César" and two "Lumiere Award", for one of those days when the viewer is upset or stressed, for a perfect relaxation. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Jantar dos Malas" ("The Dinner of the Jackasses")
spacebreeze

spacebreeze

This movie is really incredible. I laughed from the beginning to the end. I watched it in french and i dont know if it has been translated, but if you know french, you must go watch this movie. It contains so many jokes and crazy situations that nobody would like to be in. The actors are great and the "con" looks like a real one ;)

FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY, if you want to laugh all the night go see this!! this is not only a recommendation, this is almost an order!
Kalv

Kalv

Pierre Brochant and his friends have a weekly dinner party where each invites an idiot they meet to attend. They then let the `idiots' talk and laugh at them - each week the winner is the one who brings the biggest idiot. However this week Brochant's idiot, François Pignon arrives at his house to find that he has injured his back and cannot go. About to leave, Pignon stops when the answer-phone reveals a message that Brochant's wife is leaving him. He tries to help the situation and Brochant sort of needs him to, but he can't help but make things a little worse every time.

The premise of this film made it sound like it was set at the dinner party of the title and it put me of a little as I didn't like the cruel sound of it. However the actual plot occurs in Brochant's flat, but it does still have a cruel streak that is a little unpleasant. Because Pignon is such a nice little man it is hard to see him so openly reviled and mocked by Brochant, I know the plot requires it but it was done with more than a little malice and at times left a bitter taste in the mouth. However, for the majority the film is actually very funny in a slight way. The laughs generally come from buffoonery from Pignon at Brochant's expense!

The plot does turn around to be one of lessons towards the end which is good, and the story does have a good message of acceptance through it. The actors do pretty well with their broad characters, although they are allowed a little expansion towards the end of the film. Lhermitte's cold hearted bastard is a little to hard and cruel without enough in the way of being judged by the film. Villeret makes the film and perfectly makes Pignon a likeable and warm little fellow but still undeniably makes him the type of person who you would cross the road to avoid. The beauty of this is that, when Brochant learns his lesson, we as the audience also learn something too. Support roles are good but this film is mostly a double-hander which the two leads carry well.

Light and funny despite the slightly cruel nature of the plot, this film is well worth a watch. The humour is very much situation based and relies on plot devices to move it on, but it's quite fresh and amusing and makes for an enjoyable 90 minutes.
tamada

tamada

«Le dîner de cons» is one of the best film by Francis Veber. Funny, witty and intelligent, the movie tells the story of a group of men who are playing a strange game. The winner is the one who can find the perfect «con», the king of idiots! From beginning to end, this movie makes you laugh. Excellent performances by Thierry Lhermitte (one of the top French actor today) and Jacques Villeret. Watch it again, you'll laugh more than the first time!

7 out of 10.
Delari

Delari

When I saw the face of Steve Carrel in "The Dinner of Schmucks" remake, I knew they got the meaning of the word totally wrong, 'cons' is not about being retarded or eccentric, it's a state of mind, something that doesn't strike the eyes, not at first sight anyway.

"Con" is a generic insult in France that takes a lot of meanings, it either refers to a dumb or extremely naive person, a socially awkward geek, a dork, someone so blinded by a passion that he can't realize how ridicule he is in the eyes of common people, stupid is not the most faithful synonym, because a 'con' can have a high I.Q, but what do they all have in common, they don't have the intelligence of the situation, and are the target of mean-spirited people who use them as foils to appear smarter, and that they can easily be fooled allows society to label them as 'idiots'. This is sad but true, and Veber's "Diner de Cons" aka "The Dinner Game" builds its plot on a cruel purpose with mean spirited snobs inviting idiots to elect a winner at the end of the evening, and Thierry Lhermitte aka Pierre Brochant, a wealthy publisher, is one of these bad guys.

There is a French word to describe a man like Brochant, a 'salaud', a bastard if you prefer, a guy eager to make fun of less smart people, while the so-called Dinner Game can be seen as a tacit bullying, all these dumb-chasers would argue that they don't harm anyone because the purpose of the game is not to let the idiots know why they were invited. It's like 'a crime without victims'. And the players really take their hateful game seriously, each participant having a sort of scout to find the right idiot, either a colleague eager to express some 'new' ideas, a man with strange hobbies, finding a good idiot is not that an easy task. And one day, Brochant receives a phone call from a friend who found a 'world champion': Jacques Villeret as François Pignon, a civil servant working in the Minister of Treasury and building replicas of landmarks with matchsticks, what a promising pedigree!

Many people tend to minimize the emphasis on the word 'con' by arguing that we're all the idiots of someone. While it might be true, it doesn't appear to be the message of the film where the personality traits are clearly defined. While not a plain idiot, Pignon is a sweet and lovable buffoon and despite his meanness, Pierre Brochant strikes as a brilliant and intelligent person. The film doesn't try to reverse roles to demonstrate the former idea, and the lyrics of the opening song brilliantly deliver the message that age has nothing to do with brains, when we're an idiot; we're an idiot, period. The genius little song from George Brassens foreshadows the inevitability of the mayhem caused by François Pignon, directly affecting Pierre Brochant's life. And it all starts with the nice twist (indeed) when Brochant hurts his back while golfing and is forced to cancel his participation. After discovering how brilliantly dumb François Pignon is, he decides to go anyway, much to the reluctance of his wife, who therefore leaves him.

The movie takes off when Brochant is left alone, incapable to move and with Pignon trying to help him, to see where his wife have gone. And as soon as the movie starts (the set-up took a little time, but for the best) the film features a succession of never-ending misunderstandings, gaffes, and remarkable displays of clumsiness that elevate "The Dinner Game" to a masterpiece level in the comedy of errors genre. Surprisingly, the film is mostly set in Brochant's luxurious apartment, conveying a sort of trapped sensation. The film is adapted from a play written by Francis Veber and the unity of time, space and plot contributes to a coherent plot getting crescendo, each disaster provoked by Pignon leading to a bigger disaster when he tries to make up for the first. In the progress, other characters make their entrance, Brochant's ex-friend played by a brilliant Francis Huster, Just Leblanc (whose name will create one of the most hilarious cases of misunderstanding in French cinema) not to mention the scene-stealing performance of Daniel Prevost as François's friend, a hard-nosed tax inspector. Alexandra Van Der Noot and Catherine Frot also deserve accolades for the two female parts that will get mixed up by the poor Mr. Pignon.

The casting, while minimalist, is enough to conduct the movie with laughs and laughs, creating one of the greatest and most unanimously praised French comedies and Veber's true masterpiece. Indeed, Veber's comedies often relied on the simple but efficient buddy duo, with the white-faced clown and the Auguste, when the laughs mostly came from the reactions of the straight guy rather than the actions of the funny one, but this time, there's also a cynical yet delightful pleasure from seeing the Lhermitte character so tormented. His nightmarish journey seems deserved, and it would take a lot of pains to feel sorry for him because his wife left him, after all, she left him because he wanted to play a humiliating game. Not a villain or an antagonist, he's still a hardly redeemable character, and all the laughs are mixed with the satisfaction to see him get through this pain. As he'd say to Pignon, he avenged in one night all the idiots who ever participated to dinner games before, and he couldn't be truer.

But as usual, Veber films don't take their 'seriousness' with seriousness, when we know where the film is going to, we're immediately surprised by a twist that gets the final spice, a masterpiece of wit, sophistication, laughs and cynicism, leading to one major conclusion : never take one's personality for granted. Indeed, just because someone looks and sounds like an idiot doesn't mean that he is not one.
Kirimath

Kirimath

Amazing! This word describes perfectly the simplicity and the incredible sense of humour of this movie! The plot is really too straight to follow, as it is very simple: Pierre and his friends do, once a week, a "special dinner" to make fun of stupid guys they meet, and their absurd stories. They call it "idiot's dinner". For them it's like a championship where they try to find the dumbest guy on earth! But this time Pierre can't go to the dinner, because he hurt himself when he was playing golf, so he must stays in his own home. However, he had already invited Mr Pignon (the dumb guy) to the dinner and when Mr Pignon arrived, Pierre's nightmare will begin!

This movie is really funny because it transforms little common circumstances into hilarious sequences! For example, a simple phone call is turned into a hilarious scene! I mean, I cried of laughing when I was watching this movie! There are four/five scenes that are really funny and simple at the same time. It proves that is not needed a large budget to make a great film. In fact, this movie even seems to be adapted from a theatrical play. I don't know if it is or not, but it seems so, because of the simplicity of its setting (almost all the film is shot inside Pierre's apartment).

About the acting: It's done a very good work, especially by Jacques Villeret, the actor which plays Mr Pignon's character. He's really impressive as a dumb! He's truly a world champion!

It's not the first time I watched this movie, I had already seen it some years ago when it was released in theatres; but today, when I watched it on DVD, I laughed as much as I was seeing it for the very first time!
Deorro

Deorro

The movie is set almost entirely in the living room of an apartment with a spectacular view of Paris, and involves dupes, mistaken identities, pratfalls and misdirection. Once a month, wealthy and handsome book publisher Pierre Brochant (French heart throb Thierry Lhermitte) organises a dinner party with several of his friends, in which their sole purpose is to compete for the honour of who can invite the best "idiot." Desperate to find his latest dupe, Pierre is tipped off about a man named François Pignon (Jacques Villeret), a tax inspector who rambles on and on about a collection of monuments he made entirely out of matchsticks. Inviting him to his home under the guise of wanting to publish a book about his collection, Brochant seriously injures his back just prior to Pignon's arrival. Thus it is that they never quite make their dinner - or do they? Judge for yourself. With great hilarity, the intended victim and his victimizer reverse roles. In short shrift, Pignon manages to aggravate Brochant's back injury, permanently alienate the man's wife Christine (Alexandra Vandernoot) and his mistress Marlène Sasseur (Catherine Frot), and set in motion an audit by the very angry tax inspector Juste Leblanc (Francis Huster). This is a light and perfectly digestible fare, in the genre of the classic French farce. Bon appétit!
Giamah

Giamah

Refreshing comedy replete with subtlety, punning and panache, this film evidently derives from a stage play (confirmed by a French contributor in his commentary). Witty repartee flows throughout its eighty minutes (slightly shortened here in Spain in a recent viewing on TV), allowing diverse nuances as the situational comedy builds up and becomes intermeshed in cross-purpose intentions and priorities.

Almost `borrowing' from the classical theatre of this genre, such as `Boeing, Boeing' back in the late fifties, `Le Dîner de Cons' is a refined comedy almost totally carried out in a luxury Parisian flat. Jacques Villeret is magnificent as a steadfast modeller with match-sticks - the invited idiot. His playing of the part keeps on line, such that it never veers off into the ridiculous or absurd, and the result is enchanting, charming, endearing. Well supported by Lhermitte, Huster and Prévost above all, the dialogues are at once sharp and hugely touching. Unfortunately, of course, you will lose a lot of the wit in any sub-titled or dubbed version, so do get your best French well and truly polished up.

Totally different Franco-Belgian `comedy' but with that transcendental background, is the highly recommendable film `Le Huitième Jour' (1996) (qv) directed by Jaco van Dormael. In both cases my reaction is the same: Chapeau! Merci beaucoup!

Both these films are thoroughly enjoyable.
Hugifyn

Hugifyn

Happened to see this on TV one evening recently by accident.

Have to say that it is one of the best films I have seen for a very long time.

Brilliantly judged comedy of manners and class that will appeal to almost anyone with a human heart and mind. Sharp witted and wise without becoming sentimental.

Only criticism would be a certain staginess (I assume it was originally a play), but the humour more than makes up for that.

Don't let the subtitles put you off.

Heartily recommended.
Jia

Jia

Situation comedy has got itself a bad name over the years, but at its best, this is undeserved - think, for example, of 'Fawlty Towers', of which this film reminds me. The similarities are clear: exaggerated but essentially believable characters pushed into absurd situations by malign circumstances; great writing; and impeccable performances, which in 'Le Diner du Cons' come from the perfectly balanced double act of Thierry Lhermitte and Jaques Villeret. Moreover, the particular premise - of the comeuppance of a smug Parsian bourgeois who invites idiots to dinner to laugh at them - is fresh, and while this might not be the deepest of movies, it never over-cooks itself and leaves you after just 75 minutes still wanting more: a light and delicious movie.
Invissibale

Invissibale

THE DINNER GAME (Francis Veber - France 1998).

It's always a joy to see an old-fashioned but very funny farce. Pierre Brochant is a smug Parisian riche who has the habit of playing a game with his wealthy upper-class friends to see who can bring the biggest idiot to a dinner party. When an acquaintance has found him a candidate, monsieur François Pignon - the biggest idiot of all time - he gets more than he bargained for when Pignon unwittingly bulldozes through Pierre's life and everything comes crashing down upon him.

This French comedy by Francis Veber, a huge hit in France, was based on his own 1992 stage play. It's a bit in the old screwball mode of classic Hollywood, think DINNER AT EIGHT (1932), with some echos of Neil Simon and Billy Wilder. If you like those, you will no doubt have a good time watching this comic farce. But as far as comedies of errors are concerned, the French have a long tradition of their own.

Apart from a few outdoor scenes in the beginning, the film is set entirely in one Parisian living room with just a few actors. It's nothing more than a filmed play, quite static, but the cast consists exclusively of comedy pros. Thierry Lhermitte as the wealthy Parisian snob and Jacques Villeret as the grand idiot, form a wonderful team. Now, I'm gonna find me an idiot.

Camera Obscura --- 8/10
Hanelynai

Hanelynai

Second only to Veber's other masterpiece, Le Cage Aux Folles this romp is played out superbly by the two main protagonists. The acting and comedy is faultless bringing me to tears of laughter on several occasions.

Jacques Villeret portrayal of the oafish Pignon is one of the best comedy performances I have ever seen, up there with the Marx Bros and other greats like Laurel and Hardy. This however is not mere slapstick and the mental cruelty of Thierry Lhermitte's character is all too familiar in the clique based social circles I am sure most of us have encountered.

I would recommend this to anyone with a penchant for intelligent farce.
VizoRRR

VizoRRR

I found this movie engaging and amusing. I must say, though, I am surprised at the degree of extreme enthusiasm being voiced by many of the people who have placed comments.

The keyword for me was that this movie, more than anything, AMUSED me. Yes, there were some laugh out loud scenes, but not in any great abundance, and certainly not enough to earn this movie the status of a "great" comedy.

There were a few major scenes, each of which delivered, on average 1 to 2 (2 is generous) good laughs. Certainly you could do worse than that when watching a comedy, but I would be curious to see where other people were so overwhelmed with laughter while watching this when i found myself often content but bordering underwhelmed.

Oh I have to say though - the ending was perfect
Xanzay

Xanzay

Wonderfully simple, but emotionally engaging comedy. The film takes its audience on a wonderful journey as we start feeling very sorry for Villeret. The film is very cruel towards him at first. He's just a sweet, naive man looking for some acceptance. He soon turns into the guest from hell, as his lack of intelligence does turn into annoyance. Finally, his acts bring justice upon those that would make fun of him. It's a feel good comedy, that gradually builds an unexpected friendship. It's also nice to see the characters in on the joke as well. Too often comedies have their own characters ignore the hilarity around them. The dialogue is quick and witty and the film does what it can in its space and time. About to be remade with Paull Rudd and Steve Carrell, the trailer for that promises to expand on the events, but will the heart and humor remain intact? This is a mini French gem.
Arlana

Arlana

I saw this film last night and I was laughing so hard I could not breathe and could not see from my tears. I chose to watch this French original over the US remake Dinner for Schmucks. The humor comes from situations the misunderstandings. The story is refreshingly simple, the script is perfect, and the acting is superb. This film also shows how one can create excellent entertainment with low budget (a fantastic value). The film is in French and I watched the DVD with its excellent English subtitles. The story could happen almost anywhere in the World, which makes this movie universal, not just uniquely French. I highly recommend it to anyone 14-and-up seeking a true comedy.
Nicearad

Nicearad

Pierre Brochant (Thierry Lhermitte) and his friends have a contest for every Wednesday dinner that consist in invite a fool that they know and have fun with them all the dinner. Pierre find in Francois Pignon (Jacques Villeret) his own gem for the dinner but he can't go due to a problem with his back. Now Pierre must deal with this fool all the night in his apartment.

A couple of months ago i watch a film of Francis Veber for the first time in a festival and i enjoy it so when i found a DVD of another film of Veber i decide to get it. I didn't know what to expect of "Le Diner de cons" but if i were expecting a very funny comedy with an hilarious character, definitely this film was the perfect to fill my expectations. I really like this film, first because it has a very original contest as the main subject that is very cruel too,but we never see the reactions of Pierre's friends about Pignon, actually the entire film is in Pierre's apartment so the characters must have a lot of great lines and funny situations to keep going with the film in the same place. And that's the second thing i really like of this film, the character of Pignon. This man could be a really headache to anybody who meet him, making any situation a big problem. And is played in a great way by Jacques Villeret. The support characters are just fun, specially Pignon's friend who loves football (that scene, when both are talking in the phone, in probably my favourite).

And the final message of the film could be the classic one, actually it is but the very last scene is really great and change everything because after all, he was just a complete fool.

Conclusion: i enjoyed a lot this film,which runtime is only 80 minutes, and left me desires to continue checking Veber's filmography. And yes there is a good message for all the Pierres around but also another that says: don't trust in fools. 9.5 out of 10
Abywis

Abywis

"Idiots are fair game," everyone agrees in THE DINNER GAME. It doesn't take much to figure out who's coming to dinner... "This tops my wildest dreams," says the boor, Brochant (Thierry Lhermitte), when he meets his soon-to-be "guest of honor," the redoubtable Pignon. Things quickly go awry and it's Lhermitte's deadpan reactions to Villeret's Pignon that are absolutely priceless; Buster Keaton himself would be impressed. When a friend vouches for Pignon- "He's no fool."-, Brochant immediately plunges ahead with making Pignon memorize his lies. The tables are inadvertently turned again and again as the hole is dug deeper and deeper. Just when it looks like a sappily-ever-after ending, the rug is yanked out from under us one last time. Lots of fun, and not a bad idea at all for a dinner party...
Funky

Funky

Wow!This is sure a great movie,Unbelievable how creative some people can be.Simple story but very interesting.I love this piece.First from its name i thought it would not be worth to watch till i first saw the capabilities of Mr François Pignon.You know that character is very funny and at times i could feel the same emotion Mr Pierre Brochant was experiencing.You have that moment of happiness and respect and get so convinced that Mr François Pignon was going to do the right thing,and out of the blue he looses it.Very motivated fella who feels he can be more helpful.He tried to win back Mr Pierre Brochant his wife back,but blew it over a small thing,The location!!
Ndyardin

Ndyardin

It was long long time ago I have watched this movie. 'A nice French movie' I thought and never forget it. I liked Aristotales when I was kid in school. His plays always make me have constant smile that it looks like it is stuck on my face. My other hero is Molier, a version of Aristo that more close to my century.

Now, I can clearly see why I do like the movie. Because Le Diner de Cons includes all the things that I like in both writers' plays. Clear dialogs, nice easy links in the play that you can connect and over the top very clever jokes. Aristo and Molier used that a lot in their plays. Their characters were using the very low level comedy, like falling in a stupid way and highest level of comedy black humor. Francis Veber is using his teachers' idea in a very clever way.

This movie is a classic in comedy. Actors are very well performed and easy humor combines with black humor on every step. That is easy because the characters in the play already from 2 different worlds. So, when ever one of them is making black humor, the other one backup the viewer with easy humor. In this big chaos you finally found yourself smiling without control and you cannot stop. The writer Francis Veber carries you to the top of the hill and throws you down from the hill. Even when the movie ends you cannot stop anymore because till the last scene he still paunches you to roll down faster.

I wish I could see this play at a theater one day.

Well done!