Les Comperes

This wonderful French entry in Media's "Cinematheque Collection" stars Pierre Richard and Gerard Depardieu as two ex- beaus who are railroaded into searching for a woman's runaway son. The hook: she tells each one that he is the father. Les Comperes is French comedy at its best, with characteristically fine performances by Richard (The Tall Blonde Man With One Black Shoe), one of the masters of physical comedy, and Depardieu (The Return Of Martin Guerre). We asked a few staff members what they thought of Depardieu's acting abilities. Surprisingly, no one was really interested in his thespian prowess, but they all agreed he was a "hunk." Recommended for libraries who are looking for good foreign films with broad appeal (as well as for those who are more interested in broad shoulders).[DVD Review--March 25, 2003--Kino, 88 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, $29.95--Although extra-less, Kino's widescreen release of Les Comperes--which is being released along with the companion comedy by Francis Veber, Les Chevre, also starring Depardieu and Richard--sports a very handsome digital transfer. Bottom line: a good choice for larger foreign film collections.]