Les 2 Alfred

Les 2 Alfred
Original title:Les 2 Alfred
Director:Bruno Podalydès
Release:Cinema
Running time:92 minutes
Release date:16 june 2021 (France)
Rating:

Mulder's Review

"The idea for the film was born out of a longstanding desire to tell the story of a man who had to hide his paternity in order to find work. At the time, I myself was the father of two young children and I felt that it could be a strong comedy spring. I imagined this man pulling a baby toy out of his pocket in the middle of a meeting, starting to hum a nursery rhyme mechanically...very funny situations... And then Denis became a father in his turn and I wanted to take up this idea with him again. We started working together, improvising a few scenes, and then we deviated towards a story that no longer suited us. So, I went back to the script, concentrating on the business world. " - Bruno Podalydès

We'll never say again how a great comedy is soothing and perfect to take our minds off things, especially after a difficult day where you've been eating on the run so you can be ready to respond to the many last-minute requests. The world of work is an environment for both comedy and drama depending on the state of health of the company in which you work and you invest yourself totally in order to be irreproachable and proud to have given the best of yourself. How could you not applaud an irreverent comedy full of poetry and capable of moving you as well as making you laugh from one scene to the next.

The new film written and directed by Bruno Podalydès is based on an excellent screenplay conducive to excellent scenes and above all shows us a rather realistic vision of the world of work in which you have to know how to adapt constantly, not count your hours and not necessarily expect a salary commensurate with the position and responsibilities. How not to immerse oneself totally and take sides with this unemployed decommissioned man, Alexandre (Denis Podalydès) whose wife is often in a submarine on a secret mission for the army and who has to manage his two young children at the same time as being at the disposal of the start-up which has just recruited him in a rather original way.

Having to hide his private life from both his boss and his superior, Séverine (Sandrine Kiberlain,) Alfred will be able to count on the help of his new friend Arcimboldo, an entrepreneur always ready to work and try new experiences. The numerous comic scenes that result from this are perfect and hit the bull's eye every time. After comme un avion (2014), Bruno Podalydès will be back with the actress Sandrine Kiberlain and their scenes are among the most successful.

While French comedies all end up looking alike, it is good to see that some directors and screenwriters like Bruno Podalydès try to voluntarily break the too mechanical angle of them to offer comedies from an angle as poetic as it is original. So, it's impossible not to resist this irresistible comedy full of ideas (like the delivery drones, an obvious nod to Amazon). To think that we'll now have to wait until January 13th to see it again in theaters.

The 2 Alfred
Written and directed by Bruno Podalydès
Produced by Olivier Père, Pascal Caucheteux
Starring Sandrine Kiberlain, Denis Podalydès, Bruno Podalydès, Yann Frisch, Luàna Bajrami, Leslie Menu, Michel Vuillermoz and Vanessa Paradis
Cinematography: Patrick Blossier
Edited by Christel Dewynter
Production companies: Why Not Productions, Arte France Cinéma
Distributed by UGC Distribution (France)
Release date: June 16, 2021 (France)
Running time: 92mns

Seen on September 8, 2020 at the Centre International de Deauville

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