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Let’s do a little word association game, shall we? When I say “French film,” what do you think?
Not long ago, I would have imagined a deep, serious drama, starring some stone-faced actor who spits out his lines between oh-so-seductive puffs on his cigarette. But then I discovered French comedies—which, believe it or not, are surprisingly…wacky. Don’t believe me? Check out The Valet—or the 1991 French remake, Pure Luck.
Based on the French film, La Chevre, Pure Luck is a silly, slapstick comedy that follows a detective and an accountant on their unlucky search for a missing woman.
Heiress Valerie Highsmith (Sheila Kelley) has always been a handful. No, she’s not like some other heiresses you might know. She doesn’t spend her days buying designer clothes and her nights getting caught on camera doing who knows what. No, she’s a different kind of trouble—the tremendously unlucky kind.
When Valerie disappears while on vacation in Mexico, her father (Sam Wanamaker) hires private investigator Raymond Campanella (Danny Glover) to find her. After a month, though, he still hasn’t found a solid lead. So, on the suggestion of his staff psychologist, Dr. Monosoff (Harry Shearer), Highsmith decides to bring accountant Eugene Proctor (Martin Short) into the search—not for his superior intellect but because, like Valerie, he’s extremely unlucky. And, according to Monosoff, Proctor’s bad luck could lead him straight to Valerie.
Proctor’s bad luck kicks in right away—from the moment they reach the airport. But each new series of bad luck seems to bring them another lead.
With its silly stereotypes and non-stop slapstick craziness, Pure Luck isn’t what most people would expect from a French film. It’s more the kind of thing that you’d expect from, say, Mel Brooks.
Short and Glover make an unlikely comic duo—but they work surprisingly well together. On one hand, you’ve got Short—a master of physical comedy. No one can do this kind of slapstick like he can (or at least like he could back in the early ‘90s). He’s silly and over-the-top without crossing that all-important line to overdone and annoying. On the other hand, as the tough straight man, Glover keeps the film grounded. When things start to get a little too crazy, he’s there to rein in all the nonsense.
Though the story is pretty wacky and far-fetched, though, it’s also quite cleverly written. Each of the seemingly unlucky coincidences sets up another series of events—which, in turn, ends up leading Proctor and Campanella one step closer to the missing heiress. And while the connections aren’t always flawless (and the logic, of course, is completely ridiculous), it all comes together well (and it ends exactly as it should).
So if you have a thing for slapstick comedy, this zany 1991 French remake is a lucky find. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen it, it’s worth another look.
Ed. Note: Want to watch Pure Luck now? You’re in luck! It’s currently streaming for free on Hulu.com.
