You might think it was a joke, the proposition is so improbable: on the poster for the romantic comedy At the in-laws Évelyne Brochu and Luc Picard rub shoulders, but also American stars Zach Braff and Vanessa Hudgens. With the Château Frontenac and the Statue of Liberty in the background, the image caused a reaction on social networks, as did the English title of the film, French girl. But it’s not a hoax, the Quebec production is released in theaters on Friday.
These are two Montrealers, James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright, who created this bilingual comedy which could have been sponsored by the Quebec City tourist office. Indeed, we discover the Château Frontenac, the Place Royale and the region’s countryside through the eyes of Gordon (Zach Braff), visiting the Tremblay farm, the family of his girlfriend, Sophie (Évelyne Brochu).
The trailer suggests humor that is essentially based on culture shock and clichés associated with Quebec culture. We are not spared. “The film mainly plays on archetypes to create situations”slapstick”, explains Évelyne Brochu in an interview. And it is first and foremost a love letter to family and to Quebec women. »
Certainly, it is the women who lead in the film, starting with Sophie. A chef, she lives in Brooklyn with Gordon, a high school English teacher. Ruby (Vanessa Hudgens), Sophie’s ex-girlfriend and director of a triple Michelin-starred restaurant at Château Frontenac, invites her to come work there for a few days. Sophie therefore takes the opportunity to stay with her family with Gordon. However, the complicity between the two women quickly becomes unbearable for the American, clumsy and neurotic, especially since their former relationship was hidden from him by Sophie before they arrived in Quebec.
Proven recipe
“The directors don’t hide it, At the in-laws is intended to be a tribute to the romantic comedies of the 1990s and 2000s, argues Évelyne Brochu. Normally, in these films, like Meet the Parents, the women do not have a very interesting dramatic journey, whereas here, my character is at the heart of the plot. I even have a quest beyond the love story, since it is mainly Sophie’s professional journey that we follow. »
Regardless, Woods and Wright didn’t skimp on genre clichés. The entire narrative pattern is eminently predictable: Gordon is initially poorly received by his in-laws, he accumulates missteps, ends up disappointing his partner, tries to win her back, then reconciles, in the end, with her and the Tremblay clan. “It’s part of the recipe,” says Évelyne Brochu, who fully embraces it.
“When you understand a genre of cinema whose formulas you know, it’s fun to see how it will unfold,” adds the actress. Faced with the sharp humor of the directors, an unusual tone in romantic comedies, we laugh out loud. The look at the family is also hilarious, without being petty. »
Post card
The funny mosaic of characters that is the Tremblay family gives rise to all kinds of comic situations when confronted with Gordon’s urban ways. Alphonse (Luc Picard), the protective father, Ginette (Isabelle Vincent), the sensitive and sensual matriarch, and Mammie (Muriel Dutil), the senile and sleepwalking grandmother, are particularly endearing.
Despite the undeniable success of a few gags, At the in-laws However, it is not a film that is likely to please critics. Hugo Dumas has already described it as a “superficial and slightly silly thing” on Radio-Canada, and Maxime Demers, as a “charming romantic comedy, but not devoid of clichés”, in The Montreal Journal.
One of the main irritants that was noted is the “false” representation of Quebec culture as European and bucolic: the film opens with a song by Charles Aznavour, Gordon speaks of Sophie as a Frenchwoman (French) and Old Quebec is filmed like a postcard.
Évelyne Brochu is not too upset about it. “Yes, there is a postcard and magical side, but it is well balanced, it is not artificial. […] The Tremblays are also very friendly, the casting is great, and Zach Braff’s comedic genius is impressive. […] I was charmed by this proposal, because it was done with love, with biting humor. »
The film At the in-laws hits theaters on March 15.