In France, we like to laugh at the cinema! And it’s not at the Alpe d’Huez Festival, which celebrated its 27th edition in 2024, that anyone will tell you the opposite! The laughter was all the more present as the event is open to the public. Everyone was enjoying themselves without fuss or false modesty in front of French comedies destined to have great success in theaters.
Comedies are making entries as proven by recent Preserve which flirts with 1.4 million entries and Segpas on skis which exceeded one million. 20 minutes wondered what the ingredients were that attracted the public to this particular genre and asked the Festival guests the question.
“A good French comedy for me is a strong subject, a strong message. It has to be funny and with a little touch of emotion as we like,” declares Ahmed Sylla. We Leroys by Florent Bernard, Grand Prix du Festival as And more if we hit it offs by Olivier Ducray and Wilfried Meance, public prize but also jury and performance prize for Isabelle Carré and Bernard Campan, shows that we can laugh at everything, even at couples in crisis who are tearing each other apart, with crafted dialogues. These two brilliantly told stories delve into the intimacy of French people in crisis, offering with scathing humor an X-ray of our society.
For people who are not very intelligent
French comedies have evolved over the years. “Before the New Wave, there was no split between comedies and dramas,” analyzes actress and director Zabou Breitman. Then there is a split. It was arbitrarily decided that comedies were for not very intelligent people, and dramas were for the elite, which is, of course, completely stupid. » French comedy attempts to reconcile the two trends again and this gives successes such as, for example, the films of the Jaoui-Bacri duo like The taste of Others.
A good French comedy is based on a seemingly simple recipe. “The plot is necessarily serious,” explains Zabou Breitman. It could turn into a tragedy if it isn’t for the fact that it goes out of control at one point. There are crazy characters who intervene or misunderstandings that provoke laughter. » This is often the case in the films most appreciated by French people such as The big mop whose action takes place in the middle of the Second World War or Untouchables which evokes disability.
Stay in reality
“The French touch is not to move away from reality in writing, it has to be funny but fair. It’s very precise work to provoke laughter,” underlines Bernard Campan, founding member of Les Inconnus who have long applied this precept to their timeless sketches. “French comedy often works on a comedy of situations,” underlines Florent Bernard, director of We, the Leroys. There are lines that stick in your memory but all the characters exist without being caricatures. » The heroes of Santa Claus is trashof Dinner for idiots or Welcome to the Ch’tis are particularly unforgettable.
All the celebrities interviewed speak of Louis de Funès with tremolos in their voice. Younger people like Ahmed Sylla or Kev Adams discovered his films with their family when they were children. “I think we recognize a great French comedy by the fact that it can be shared from generation to generation,” insists Kev Adams.
Sincere and generous
Sincerity is the key word for many of the personalities we meet. “Generosity and rigorous writing work allow the public to be involved in the story,” explains Maxime Gasteuil. This is what I discovered on stage and it also applies to cinema because the spectators sense when you are fake or lazy. »
Alexandra Lamy adds: “It is indeed through these ingredients that a good French comedy can be recognized, but they can also reserve surprises, an absurd or cruel side that I find stimulating! » And to quote Happy winnersa delightful sketch film by Maxime Govare and Romain Choay, awarded at the Alpe for its very dark humor including crimes, terrorism and fraud.
“Comedy is the French’s favorite genre,” insists Ahmed Sylla. It’s interesting to see it evolve at the same time as society. The best ones help to open minds while giving pleasure, that of being together to laugh and then think. » This definition of French comedies explains in one sentence why they are so popular.