09/07/23

Cineworld, Edinburgh

French writer/director/cinematographer Quentin Dupieux is a singular filmmaker, with an offbeat style that defies definition. This latest offering, for example, is about a superhero task force – except it isn’t, because they’re never called upon to perform any actual heroics and, in any case, it’s hard to know what their particular skillset (harnessing the negative energy from cigarettes, obviously) could achieve. Apart from making people cough.

But if saving the world isn’t on the agenda, Chef Didier – a revolting, slimy-mouthed puppet-rat, voiced by Alain Chabat – still has plans for his Tobacco Force (Gilles Lellouche, Vincent Lacoste, Anaïs Demoustier, Jean-Pascal Zadi and Oulaya Amamra). Noticing a little friction in the group, he decides that what they need is some team-building. Ignoring their protests, he packs them off to a country retreat, where they are ordered to focus on re-establishing their bond. This complex set-up is, in fact, just a framing device for what is essentially a whimsical portmanteau movie, as our heroes try to impress each other by telling fantastical tales around a campfire. But even this is far from straightforward, as a wandering child, Josette (Thémis Terrier-Thiebaux), and – ahem – a grilled fish (voiced by Franck Lascombes) also get in on the act…

The bleached-out colour palette, shonky robots and scruffy puppets all add to the sense of unreality that pervades this film. It looks suspiciously like something from 70s children’s TV, and yet it’s oddly polished too, as if it’s been sprinkled with magic movie dust.

Yep – it’s as weird and wonderful as it sounds. In an era of Marvel-saturation and double-digit sequels, it’s refreshing to see an oddity like this on offer in a mainstream cinema. Dupieux lets his imagination roam free and – although the inside of his head must be a strange place indeed – it makes for a very entertaining output. Highlights here include the gross-but-sweet story of a man caught in a wood-chipper, and the superheroes’ matter-of-fact acceptance that their accommodation boasts ‘a supermarket fridge’, complete with shopkeeper. Of course it does.

Don’t ask. Just do yourself a favour and book a ticket to see this in a cinema near you.

4 stars

Susan Singfield