M. Hulot's Holiday #110 Dir. Jacques Tati

SYNOPSIS: Pipe-smoking Monsieur Hulot, Jacques Tati’s endearing clown, takes a holiday at a seaside resort where his presence provokes one catastrophe after another. Tati’s wildly funny satire of vacationers determined to enjoy themselves includes a series of precisely choreographed sight gags involving dogs, boats, and firecrackers. The first entry in the Hulot series is a masterpiece of gentle slapstick. - via Criterion Website

I decided to start my year of Criterion with the classic French slapstick stylings of Jacques Tati.  This film is quiet and well thought out when it does use sound.  The movie is very loose on plot and even character development but the physical gags are hilarious.  Much like Charlie Chaplin's Tramp, Jacques Tati's Monsieur Hulot with have you laughing constantly at his well developed sight gags with many political underpinnings.  If you don't catch the social satires don't worry because you aren't in France in 1953 but if you pay attention you may catch how often side characters are used.  As opposed to many of the Criterion films, this movie is not offensive to anyone making it a perfect movie for the whole family.  The movie is fairly short and would be wonderful to watch on a Sunday afternoon.

I would suggest this movie for anyone who enjoys slapstick comedy but would warn ahead of time that the plot isn't the purpose of the story so get caught in the comedic moment rather than worrying about the whole.

P.S.

I'm still getting use to blog writing style but the more films I review the more comfortable I will become at writing.

The film is instant watch on Netflix and Hulu Plus but if you'd like to own it or stream it via Amazon please use these links...