OSS 117

When talking about Jean Dujardin and his performance in The Artist (2011) with a French friend of mine, he told me that I should try and see two of his earliest comedies to get a flavour of his comical performance but also to gather more French comedies, since he knew I'm a big fan of the European approach of the genre.

Those two comedies were OSS 117: Le Caire nid d'espions (2006) and OSS 117: Rio ne répond plus (2009), both revolving around a French secret agent (acted by Monsieur Dujardin), who seemingly looks like a European parody of James Bond. If the story interests you, I think it will add up to your curiosity the fact that both features are directed by Michel Hazanavicius, who reached out to the big audience with his most successful movie,  The Artist.

After watching the first, I was completely convinced the Jean Dujardin is probably one of the most funniest and most charismatic guys in showbiz. The movie was really well written in great humorous lines and great slapstick sequences, however, Dujardin alone makes it worth it! Other French friends of mine, including the one who initially made the suggestion, said the sequel was their favorite, however, it was made of a very typical French humor, perhaps not "accessible" for most audience.

After watching it this weekend, I found that to be completely inaccurate. I do agree its better than the first (and that alone is a big accomplishment), but I don't feel like other nationality might not appreciate the same as French. The format is the same, but more edgier... The jokes are more outrageous and they come with a big bang. It will make you laugh really hard, even if you realise seconds later that it might be inappropriate.

All and all, I consider to be one of the best spoofs I've ever seen. And guess what? I thought this was related to Ian Fleming's James Bond, but it turns out OSS 117 was actually a series of novels that began even before Fleming came up with his character. The difference is that the 2006 and 2009 movies came out as direct spoofs to those popular French novels. I did not see that coming...

If you have a sense of humour and are a fan of "The Artist" (the actor, not the movie) I promise you will have a great time following the adventures of OSS 117.