Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Search cinema listings

Browse cinemas A-Z

Search 20,000 reviews

 

Shut Up! (2003)

Director: Francis Veber

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Since his early masterpiece ‘Pain In The Arse’, Francis Veber, primarily as writer, occasionally as director, has been the genius behind many of the funniest  French comedies and filmed farces of the last four decades, including  such cheeky pleasures as ‘La Cage aux Folles’, ‘Three Fugitives’ and ‘Le Dîner de Cons’. His stock-in-trade is PC-tickling, broad knockabout duo- or trio-based character comedy tied to tightly scripted narratives, spot-on timing and slaying reaction shots. These are all present and correct in his highly enjoyable Paris-set latest – which limps here three years late  – a criminal caper that harps back in many ways to that first triumph, this time with cow-eyed Jean Reno and strawberry-nosed Gérard Depardieu as the hard man/idiot couple playing off each other with the same delicious stupidity as did Lino Ventura and Jacques Brel 30-odd years ago. Okay, ‘Tai Toi!’ isn’t  exactly sophisticated entertainment: if you don’t find Depardieu’s electric-shock hair do funny, you’ll probably hate it. Among the excellent support,  Richard Berry gives good deadpan as the police commissaire and André Dussollier is superb as the prison psychiatrist who unwittingly unites the fifth arrondissement’s sharpest, most silent, criminal brain with its dumbest, most talkative ox.

Author: Wally Hammond 2006-10-10 10:55:58

Time Out London Issue 1886: October 11-18 2006


  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields





Top Stories

Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'

Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'

Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him

Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?

Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?

How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains

Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'

Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'

We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon

A gateway to all things 'New Moon'

A gateway to all things 'New Moon'

In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.

London Children's Film Festival

London Children's Film Festival

Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival

The films that deserve a TV spin-off

The films that deserve a TV spin-off

With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations

The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'

The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'

Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’

Michael Haneke discusses 'The White Ribbon'

Michael Haneke discusses 'The White Ribbon'

Dave Calhoun met with Michael Haneke in Munich to mull over the details of his Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'

Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?

Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?

Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer

Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam

Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam

In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations