Pourris Gates (2021)

Directed by: Nicolas Cuche | 95 minutes | comedy | Actors: Gérard Jugnot, Camille Lou, Louka Meliava, Victor Artus Solaro, Tom Leeb, François Morel, Joffrey Verbruggen, Sean-Baptiste Sagory

‘Pourris gâtés’ is a French comedy in which Francis Bartek, a very wealthy, hard-working father, is increasingly confronted with the products of his own wrong choices. His three grown children are spoiled, financially dependent nests, each in their own unique way helping their lives and his money to ruin.

First up, there’s Stella, who in the first scene snaps at her driver, letting her social media followers know that she’s on her way for an old-fashioned afternoon of shopping at Gucci. The next acquaintance is with the still school-age Alexandre, who is caught by someone’s husband and leaves the premises half dressed. At first Philippe seems to actually work in his father’s company, but turns out to be spewing only completely crazy ideas that only cost money and yield nothing but vicarious shame. His latest “brilliant” idea: pay someone for a week to break in new shoes for you to help with sore feet.

During Stella’s extravagant birthday party (she turned 24), things go wrong. Against Francis’ wishes, she announces that she is going to marry the Argentinean Juan Carlos (a role by Tom Leeb, who would represent France during the Eurovision Song Contest in 2020). Francis is convinced that the slippery man is only after the family fortune. And despite his promise to make an important delivery for his father, Philippe appears to have started drinking elsewhere (and he misses his sister’s party as a result). Alexandre turns out not only to do it with his school principal’s wife, but also with both daughters… Francis’ heart cannot withstand such adversity and he ends up in hospital. Three guesses how his offspring behave at the sick bed.

Together with his business partner, Francis devises a plan. He pretends that the tax authorities and the police are after them – something about fraud – and that all accounts are frozen. Fleeing from these authorities, they arrive in Marseille, where Francis owns an old and dilapidated holiday home. There is only one thing to do: the threesome have to look for a job, because there is not even food. Every child deals with this in their own way. But who is actually teaching whom a lesson?

Although many of the characters in ‘Pourris gâtés’ are all walking clichés, there are still some recognizable human traits to be discovered, with Francis leading the way. The story goes exactly as you expect: there are often not too subtle hints. That predictability is not bad, the filmmakers clearly aspire to deliver no more than an amusing family comedy. Even the twist at the end is not too surprising and presents Francis with a choice that has already been made in advance. Not all jokes are successful or original, but a few times can certainly bring a smile. To fully enjoy this film, you have to take for granted that it is a breeze for the Bartek children to change their expensive lifestyle and easy-going attitude that they have grown for years. But stay tuned after the credits for arguably the funniest scene in the movie.