A Pain in the Ass

A Pain in the Ass is the second remake of the French original, where thanks to the idea of the screenwriter, a cold-blooded contract killer and a careworn good-hearted fool with suicidal tendencies meet in neighboring rooms of a hotel, preparing for a crucial action of their profession. I saw both previous films, the original with Ventura in the lead role and the American remake with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, a few years ago, and it is extremely unfair to compare the quality of all three works with such a time gap. However, despite the risk of distortion based on what I remember, I think the third version comes closest to my idea of a quality comedy. The previous films were brought down by problematic casting and overacting (Jacques Brel) or cheaper humor in the American version. By the way, the 58% that A Pain in the Ass has received to date is a meager share compared to often much better-rated fecal comedies or teenage nonsense. Francis Veber's humor style suits me perfectly, and he has never really disappointed me with any of his films or scripts. A Pain in the Ass is not flawless, but the best calling card for a comedy is the amount of laughter it evokes in the viewer, and I haven't laughed this genuinely for at least a year, like during the escapades of the unfortunate Pignon and the undisguised despair of the perpetually disturbed jinxed contract killer. Compared to previous versions, the central duo of opponents is played by relatively unknown actors, but they deliver decent performances and are not a weakness. Veber can present even the most clichéd and potentially cheap scenes with French charm and wit. Perhaps only the point could have been more well-executed. Overall impression: 80%. (09/30/2010)

Another superb French comedy from the director of Shut Up!, a gem of cinema. It's a mystery to me why this film isn't as popular, as the premise is very similar to Shut Up! One hotel, a connected room, and in it an assassin and a chatty suicidal man – this duo pulled the whole film together. Lots of funny and comical situations, and decently suspenseful at times. Good film. 80%. (11/01/2017)