Oscar

Oscar; comedy, France, 1967; D: Édouard Molinaro, S: Louis de Funès, Claude Rich, Claude Gensac, Agathe Natanson, Sylvia Saurel

Betrand is a rich industrialist who doesn't really care about anything. One morning, one of his workers, Christian, declares him that he proposed his daughter. After the initial shock, Bertand eventually agrees since Christian saved a lot of money for his company. But then the unknown Jacqueline storms Bertrand's mansion and explains him that Christian actually proposed her since she introduced herself as his daughter to impress him. Bertrand is shocked, especially when he discovers that his real daughter Colette is pregnant by his driver Oscar. After a whole bunch of complications, everyone gets married to those they want.

"Oscar" is a simple, fun, unpretentious and sympathetic comedy of misunderstanding that seizes the attention with a very well written and constructed story filled with humor of situations and the super-funny Louis De Funes. Even though it has all the distinctions of one Wilder film, "Oscar" is still a notch weaker since it didn't manage to sparkle with full strength, maybe because it based the whole story on one gag and nothing more, and director Edouardo Molinaro wasn't such a master to turn it into a great film. Maybe this is the reason while one of the best jokes is exactly the one that doesn't have nothing to do with the story, in which hero Bertrand, instead of money, finds underwear in the suitcase and goes "mad", performing some over-the-top wacky gestures with his nose and foot. Still, the film works really smoothly, almost as a good play since it unravels almost in one location, Bertand's home, and it's better than the American remake from '91.

Grade:++