The Seattle International Film Festival was around a few weeks ago and I only got around to seeing one film on the last day. I’m so lazy.
The movie, “OSS 117″ is a bit of a French parody of the James Bond series. In a way, it’s like Austin Powers or Naked Gun, in that the main character is a clueless spy. Unlike the other two movies, he is a decent spy occasionally and the jokes are a bit more subtle. From a little research on the IMDB, it seems like there are many movies in the OSS 117 name, although the actor always changes. Apparently it has never made it big in the States because American audiences can’t handle the changing actor thing.
I can see why the movie won the best picture award at the festival. Although there’s a fair amount of slapstick and lunacy, there’s also a point (well, sometimes). In one scene, OSS 117 mistakenly beats up an imam because his call to prayer is keeping him from sleeping. His (and the West’s) ignorance of Islam is a running joke/point throughout the movie.
There also seems to be a French sense of humor (or at least different than anything I’ve seen before) in the movie. Repetition of silly codewords is a big running joke throughout the film. People getting punched in the face and toying with chickens is also maximized for comedic effect.