This French humorous drama based on true events was chosen as the best European comedy of 2020. He had “The Big Hit” or “Un triomphe” an accident to be in the official competition of canceled Cannes in 2020, and one of the screenwriters and director Emmanuel Courcol told the story that actually took place in Sweden in the mid-1980s. around Lyon. Etienne (Kad Merad), once a relatively successful actor on the verge of the 1960s who has not been able to find any engagement for a long time, went there. And he did not end up in prison for some illegal activities, but he survives by leading various acting workshops, so the prison system decides to finance one such workshop for prisoners.
And although some of his troupe members can barely read, Etienne decided to stage Samuel Beckett’s legendary absurdist drama “Waiting for Godot” with them. It seemed to him symbolically interesting as these prisoners are waiting for something or time to come out, but also because the role of Vladimir in the same play a quarter of a century ago is a role to which he is still extremely attached and a role that briefly celebrated him. And although the very idea that a group of prisoners who have never seen a play in their lives is acting in something demanding like Godot seems absurd, they will all throw themselves into the work and preparation of the play.
Etienne will go all out and convince not only the inmates / actors that they can do it, but she will also somehow persuade the prison manager and the judge to let them perform on a real stage. One of the motivations for the actors will be the fact that they will at least go out for a while, but working on the play will also make them important and take their thoughts away from the classic prison life. As the name suggests, the play will soon become a real, big hit, and this atypical theater company will go on tour in France, and the grand finale is planned in the cult Parisian Odeon. And “The Big Hit” was a fun, charming film, one of those almost typical bitter-sweet French films that doesn’t have excessive pretensions, and is extremely drinkable and likable.
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