Le Diner de Cons (The Dinner Game)

September 18.

I was surprised how much "Le Diner de Cons" was like the American version, "Dinner for Schmucks" but how much more I liked it.

A few characters were different and they never made it to the dinner in the original, French version, but the story is the same. Pierre Brochant invites Francois Pignon (who makes models of engineering feats out of matchsticks) to a dinner party for idiots. The biggest idiot wins.

Pierre throws his back out before leaving the house, his wife walks out on him, and Francois is there to help. Although he means well, you feel for Pierre because Francois just keeps making everything worse.

The French film works better because it doesn't try to apologize for what it is. The people who invite idiots to dinner to make fun of them are mean. Pierre's wife tells him he's mean and he says, "OK, but it's fun." And, the story doesn't have a need (as American movies seem to) to be wrapped and happy by the end. There's no way Pierre and Francois are ever going to be buddies. Maybe that's why the Steve Carell/Paul Rudd version didn't work. It just wasn't believable.