Hilarious French Comedies to Help You Learn the Language and Culture
DISCLAIMER: This list is ~85% ridiculous. These are cult classics and most (the first listed being the exception) tend to fall into a sort of Naked Gun meets Animal House category. Get out while you can if you’re not into absurdist, slapstick humour à la Mel Brooks.
If you’re looking to up your reference game in France these movies are your ticket in. During my time here, most of my North American cultural references have fallen flat—and it’s devastating. So, I’ve slowly been trying to collect french equivalents so I can better understand French references, story telling, and humour. Here are a few super goofy movies to help you not only progress linguistically but laugh out loud and earn a few cultural comedy points in the process.
Les Intouchables
If you haven’t already seen this movie stop reading this list and go watch it now. I’m not even going to go into detail trying to sell you on the plot, just go watch it; you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you won’t regret it. It’s really the only one on this list that cannot be directly compared to National Lampoons and actually stands alone as rather a serious film.
OSS 117, le Caire, Nis d'Espions
This was my first introduction to this sort of cult humour in France and I’m all about it. Jean Dujardin plays a James Bond-like spy in an Airplane!-esque slapstick comedy. It’s a well referenced French flick, so if you’re looking to up your pop culture game, this is a good place to start.
La Cité de la Peur
Okay, so I was recently turned on to this one (now streaming on Netflix) and suddenly I’m hearing it referenced everywhere (and even seeing it on t-shirts). Little did I know the importance of watching this 1994 cult-comedy classic by a group of performers that went by the name “les nuls” (the idiots). It takes place during the Cannes festival and parodies Hollywood thriller/action tropes. It is, how-you-say, buffoonery at its finest. I need to go back for more so I can begin to memorise some of the more memorable, and usable, quotes.
Barrez-vous, cons de mimes!
Le Dîner de Cons
This to me is the epitome of french humour; it’s slapstick with a touch of cruelty, self-deprecating, and yet at the heart of it, very charming. I’ll leave the ex-pat life comparisons to you…but this silly flick, originally a screenplay (which you can sense by the staging), is one of my favourites so far. Don’t even think about watching the Steve Carell American remake. Disclaimer to sensitive Canadians: characters are mean!
Le Prénom
Honestly, I actually haven’t seen this movie but I did see it as a play and nearly peed my pants laughing so hard. Now it’s on my “to-watch” list and feel if the movie is half as funny as the play was it deserves a spot on this list. It fits nicely with the style of humour. I don’t believe it has a cult following like many of the movies listed, but as with Le Dîner de Cons, it too was originally adapted from the stage and it feels as though they make a good pairing. So, if you enjoyed Le Dîner de Cons, this may be worth a watch.
Les Bronzés Font du Ski
What would a list of slapstick ridiculous french comedies be without Les Bronzés? This is actually a sequel to the movie “Les Bronzés” which I have not seen but seems to be referenced far less than the follow-up. The movie follows a group of friends who, in the original, met during a Club Med vacation. The movie is full of ski vacation tropes and satirises group holiday dynamics.
So, there you have it. Just a few to begin with but I will update my list as I continue on my hunt to take in all that is the absurdity that is french comedy. Do you have any recommendations? I’d love to hear them! Feel free to leave me some suggestions in the comments.
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