Alice Bouvier Sauvage (Chloé Coulloud) and François Martin (Julien Pestel) have been happily dating for a while now. Now they want to take the next step and say yes. But first, it’s time to finally introduce her parents to each other, since they’ve never met before. They couldn’t be more different. While Alice’s parents Frédéric (Christian Clavier) and Catherine (Marianne Denicourt) come from old nobility and live in a huge castle, Gérard (Didier Bourdon) makes his money by selling cars. His wife Nicole (Sylvie Testud) doesn’t have a great family tree either. She doesn’t really know who she’s descended from. The two couples can’t do much together and the evening threatens to end in disaster. When Alice and François want to surprise the four with a DNA test that will reveal more about their origins, they have no idea what harm they will do with it…
The search for the origin
For some people, the idea of people from different countries and cultures mixing is sheer horror. This was already common practice in the past and there was always a mix. For this reason, it has been possible for some time now to find out one’s own ethnic origins using such DNA tests. The significance is a little controversial. But these tests are popular, and videos of young people enthusiastically sharing the results can be found everywhere. This in turn makes the topic a grateful one for films. At least that’s what people thought with Oh la la – Who would suspect something like that?, where the question of origin leads to a bitter argument.
However, it takes quite a long time for the film to get to this point. Over a longer period of time, the main thing is how different the two parents are. On one side the snobby nobility, on the other the couple from humble backgrounds. This isn’t a particularly original comparison, but it works in principle. What’s nice in this context is that cars are used as a contrast medium. So Frédéric insists on only buying Mercedes because they are the best, while Gérard insists on Peugeots as an expression of his patriotism. But it’s not entirely well thought out when Gérard in Oh la la – who would suspect something like that? later he insults the Germans and how much his family suffered under them. The fact that opinions change depending on which jokes are being told doesn’t leave a good impression.
Weak jokes
But otherwise the film is unfortunately far from the hoped-for highlight. It starts with the fact that the jokes are based on the idea that some countries are better than others. This is put into perspective later when things are conciliatory in the last few meters. Still, it’s not entirely happy. In addition, the jokes are at least partially really weak. Director and author Julien Hervé, who previously worked on the script for Asterix & Obelix in the Middle Kingdom, primarily only came up with old clichés. Cocorico Although it is a brand new comedy, it seems very outdated in many places. If you’re going to make jokes at the expense of other countries, they should at least be funny.
Every now and then they are. For example, at some point Gérard makes a discovery about his father that is so stupid that you somehow end up laughing. Conversely, the fate of Nicole, who, as an orphan, longs to have something like a family, is close to home and is therefore the only one of the four who sees her test as an opportunity. But that’s not enough to cover up the various lengths that are in Oh la la – who would guess? gives. They tried somewhat desperately to build on the past successes of Monsieur Claude and his daughters etc., but without having the necessary ideas. The scenario was actually promising, but the film is ultimately pretty mediocre.
Cocorico With the help of a DNA test, the worldview of two sets of parents collapses. The scenario actually sounded promising. The result is all the more sobering. On the one hand, it takes a long time for the film to even get to the topic and then only offers tired clichés.
France Comedy
