THE FRENCH JOB

Yonathan (Melvil Poupaud) is a nervous-natured watch expert whose life is turned upside down after a chance meeting with overbearing con artist Eric (Sofiane Zermani). Eric makes his living siphoning off stolen artwork and jewellery. When the “Spider-Man of Paris,” Jo (Steve Tientcheu), steals five artworks worth over $100 million, Eric draws Yonathan into his seedy world in an attempt to move them on. This film takes inspiration from the real life theft of irreplaceable Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, Braque, and Léger paintings from the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris in 2010. While the facts are that three men were involved in the actual heist and went to jail, most of the plot feels fabricated and unrealistic. Pitched as a madcap comedy, this just didn’t bring the laughs. I found the dynamic between the characters to be grating, particularly Eric’s pushy, loudmouthed energy against Yonathan’s insipid, weak nature. I also despised their blatant and selfish disrespect for the stolen works. Seeing such priceless canvases reduced to garbage was maddening, although the reality is they’ve never been recovered. A farcical reenactment of an audacious crime.