"Le sens de la fête" or "C'est la vie!" is a new French 2-hour movie that was released in Germany just today and this one was written and directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, the duo that is of course still mostly known for their work Intouchables from a few years ago. This one here may not trump the success of the aforementioned, but I think it also becomes pretty famous, also has some really solid awards attention and I am glad about that as I enjoyed the watch myself too. The entire film basically takes place on one day as we follow a team of wedding planners the night of the wedding and see their struggles, often very funny struggles, in turning this into a night to remember for the right reasons. I would say that the film needs a little while to get going and the first half hour or so isn't too great really, but almost everything afterwards is highly entertaining. My favorite moment is maybe the police officer / bull reference that was also in the trailer, but I think nobody in the room found it as funny as me and the one who decided to put it in the trailer. Apart from that, I also really liked the socket reference with the meat that turned foul because one character put his electric razor in. That was really hilarious. Weaker moments include the romance parts between the singer and the female organizer that sometimes only felt included to make sure we never think the singer is racist, thus also the black band member I guess. These two had zero chemistry. At least when they let the balloon loose and it flew away, this was still a funny scene for other reasons than the kissing. Love and romance are common subjects here on other occasions too, like one crew member's affection for the bride that luckily from a perspective of realism did not mount into something bigger then, even if the unlikable groom would have deserved it. God he was unbearable... The balloon scene was just the icing on the cake. I think I have to give the actor credit for that. Other than that there are some pretty funny recurring jokes too like the guy stating the obvious constantly or the illegal employee parts. Overall, I think this was a very funny film. The amount of jokes is really very big quantity-wise for sure and while obviously not everyone can be a winnert, I was still impressed that hardly none of them were unfunny and most were fairly hilarious. Good job to the writers for sure. Only parts like the beginning and the unrealistic power shift at the ending are the reason why I cannot give this more than 3 stars out of 5. In-between, it could at times still be considered one of the very best and funniest comedy films of 2017, if we go by the original release date. Almost all characters are interesting and entertaining without ever getting gimmicky in a bad way I would say. And the music was good too, especially the inclusion of one really catchy song. Without hesitation, I recommend seeing this movie. These 2 hours went by very quickly thanks to a whole bunch of characters that you enjoyed seeing. If they ever made a sequel to this one, which certainly is an option given the ending, then I think I'd watch this one too pretty safely. Thumbs up for this film that has not one performance or character really stand out, but it's an amazing ensemble cast turn. Positive recommendation for sure.

"For what it is worth, Nakache and Toledano strenuously and cunningly condenses the current society into this microcosmic activity, where each character is imbued with distinct personality to cover the whole scope of human foibles, the hotheaded, potty-mouthed chief assistant Adèle (Haidara),is always at loggerheads with the pompous DJ James (Lellouche),a substitute who cannot get the approval of the payer; waiter Julien (Macaigne),also Max's brother-in-law and a compulsory grammar corrector (he was a teacher before),finds out the bride Héléna (Chemla) is an old acquaintance he carries a torch for, to save face, he pretends to be one of the wedding guests, but his 17th costume, in which every waiter is requested to be attired, is a dead giveaway; also among the outfit is the eccentric wedding photographer Guy (Rouve),who roundly loathes the ubiquity of cellphone shutterbugs, and his high school apprentice Bastien (Naccache),eventually what plays out is that the former has much to learn from the technology-savvy latter."

read the full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks

Max has been a caterer for 30 years: he has successfully organized hundreds of parties but now he's a bit at the end of his rope. Well today, what luck! he finds himself in charge of a sublime wedding party in the most sumptuous setting, a 17th century castle. But, for various reasons, disaster threatens at any time...

This is not the first film about a wedding that goes sour ("A Wedding" by Altman being the ultimate prototype) but this one, signed by the serviceable Nakache and Toledano ("Those Happy Days", "The Intouchables ") is one of the most successful. Not content to be written with finesse and skillfully directed (despite all the difficulties presented by the genre of choral film) "Le Sens de la fête" can boast of functioning on several levels, which raises it well above a simple comedy. It is both documentary (the functioning of a whole brigade under the direction of a caterer) and social (the vicissitudes of a small business, the working conditions of its employees in the face of these wealthy people who treat themselves to a 200 hundred-cover banquet in a manor),psychological (a whole range of individuals are studied under a magnifying glass) and sociological (the problem of immigration, already addressed in "Samba", illustrated here by the fate of Tamil employees); all this without any of these dimensions getting in the way of funny situations and dialogues. A bit of suspense (how will Max and his team cope when disasters pile up?),a hint of poetry (the bridegroom and the balloon in the night) and a great collective interpretation, led by a Jean-Pierre Bacri, grumpy as expected but also overflowing with humanity. Let yourself be tempted by this tasty cocktail with the perfect mix of fun, emotion, and gravity. You won't regret it.