De la Comedie-Francaise

A theatre production is a goldmine for potential comedy mishaps, from unfortunate-looking props, to misunderstandings about hair and make-up, to actors sharing too much chemistry off-stage. Whilst De la Comedie-Francaise contains all these staples and some innovative jokes, it’s a shame to say that the film as a whole doesn’t come together in the neat way it, along with its central characters, hopes to pull things off. The jokes, like a few of the actors in this fictional company, are a bit tired and don’t always hit their marks.

Nina is a first-time theatre director who chooses to bite off more than she can chew with a production of Macbeth (frequently referred to as Macbette by the cast with less and less results over time). When she learns three hours before the curtain up that the lead actress won’t be able to make it, she’s thrust into the iconic role herself. Ask yourself, what if Birdman was French and even less funny than it already isn’t? You may start to get the picture.

The central cast brings believable panic and energy to the script, which relies on an episodic structure that leaves a disconnected narrative. Situations arise which are resolved within the same conversation they were uncovered. On multiple occasions it seems an element was inserted to create tension that’s resolved so arbitrarily, the problem might as well have hardly been addressed.

In particular at the climax, a character is introduced for one scene who so thoroughly breaks the rules of the story, their only adequate description is as a deus ex machina. Their introduction upends everything that’s come before, and seems to let the filmmakers off the hook of making Nina resolve any issues. A protagonist can of course be inspired to carry on, but when all their motivation is reignited following a conversation with a brand new, previously unmentioned character this late in the tale, the pride you sense the filmmakers hoped for is noticeably absent.

The film’s pace is its salvation, as the brevity of only seventy-four minutes allows the viewer to feel as though they are being carried along, kicking and screaming with the other actors, towards the show. They are locked into this tense, unfunny situation, and we’re stuck right alongside them.