Daniel Auteuil victim of a scam in “La Petite Vadrouille”, new burlesque comedy by Bruno Podalydès

The director returns with a film that resembles the games that children invent for themselves, and offers Daniel Auteuil, a new recruit to his cinema family.

After having greedily mocked the world of real estate, its shenanigans and its linguistic tics in Wow!, This time Bruno Podalydès takes us aboard a “barge” for a romantic cruise organized for a rich entrepreneur in love. The Little Mop hits theaters on June 5.

Jocelyn, Albin, Rosine, Sandra, Caramel, Justine, a group of friends, all have more or less debts or money problems. Justine (Sandrine Kiberlain)Albin’s wife (Denis Podalydès), is highly appreciated by Franck (Daniel Auteuil) her boss, for her organizational skills. He therefore decides to entrust her with a delicate mission: to organize a charming weekend for himself and the woman he covets, with a budget of 14,000 euros.

Led by her husband Albin, who intends to keep half of the budget for themselves, Justine calls together their entire group of friends to organize this “little surprise weekend” at 14,000 euros. The idea: a river and canal cruise aboard a barge. At the helm of the ship, microphone in hand, is Jocelyn (Bruno Podalydès), a captain who takes himself very seriously, equipped with a cabin boy full of good will.

Responsible for on-board service, locks and all kinds of entertainment to enhance this romantic cruise at a discount, Rosine, Sandra and Caramel wear several hats. Objective: reduce costs and “to spit” the old handsome to the fullest. Everything is ready for the adventure when Franck, on the platform, an enormous bouquet of flowers in his arms, reveals the name of the coveted sweetheart. The cruise imagined by this group of nickel-plated feet then takes an unexpected turn.

“It looks like…”: that’s what the game is all about the protagonists of this new comedy by Bruno Podalydès, which unfolds like a child’s game too happy to play a good joke. Providing scenes of great humor in the first part, the film gradually takes on a more melancholy tone, with a few moments of grace.

On the water, Jocelyn and her crew came across a group of young people, their heads full of dreams. Later, the crew of the barge will be content to watch them take to the sea, from the riverbeds.

In a production full of the fantasy that we know him to be, the director of Like a plane features his family of actors, including Denis Podalydès, starring in almost all of his films, and Sandrine Kiberlain, who we had already seen in The 2 Alfreds.

This time he adds a heavyweight guest, Daniel Auteuil, who we happily find here in a comedic role. The excellent actor gives a sensitive touch and a touch of ambiguity to a character that would have been easy to caricature. Bruno Podalydès also offers Dimitri Doré, very expressive in the role of the little boy, the opportunity to show the burlesque note of his acting palette.

Bucolic settings, inventive accessories, music and songs invited as characters in their own right… We find the staging tips dear to the director, and some discoveries evoking silent cinema, or even the fantasy of Jérôme Deschamps’ burlesque theater or of his master Jacques Tati.

With The Little MopBruno Podalydès once again shares with the spectators his offbeat and poetic view of the world, and celebrates, beyond everything, the joy of telling stories, of playing them, of believing in them, and of laughing, despite All.

Gender : Comedy
Director: Bruno Podalydès
Actors: Daniel Auteuil, Sandrine Kiberlain, Denis Podalydès
Country : France
Duration : 1h 36min
Exit : June 5, 2024
Distributer : UGC distribution
Synopsis : Justine, her husband and their whole group of friends find a solution to solve their money problems: organize a fake romantic cruise for Franck, a big investor, who is trying to seduce a woman.