After the box-office success locally of Bon Cop, Bad Cop, there is now a will in the Quebec Province to replicate the success of the funny crime thrillers, which have been so popular and successful in Hollywood (Lethal Weapons, Rush Hours, Bad Boys and so many more). Basically, mix some action and fun scenes and make a product that's not meant to be taken entirely seriously.
Unfortnately, where Bon Cop, Bad Cop shined with a cool cinematography, evocative characters personified by great actors with chemistry and scenes that were hilarious, De Père en flic has little of that. Louis-José Houde is simply not credible as a cop, and is simply not as funny in a full role as he could be in a cameo or as a stand-up comedian. Michel Côté is better but has very little to work with. Rémy Girard is a wonderful actor but here, seems to go through the motion and repeat his character from "Les Boys". Finally, the very pretty Caroline Dhavernas is totally lacking any credibility as a cop and annoys us with her wooden acting. Her lack of chemistry with Houde also kills their romance.
The actual crime plot and story? Completely ludicrous and cliché. The writing and direction fails to engage the viewers at any point in the story. In most movies of the genre, it is good to remember we often know how it's going to end, the point of these films is to make the ride enjoyable by creating cool action scenes, poignant moments and of course, making us laugh at times.
This film fails. And if it wasn't a local product, the rating would be closer to the 5 it deserves. I suspect a lot of reviewers are being nicer because of the local factor and that just doesn't cut it with me.
Plot summary
They are father and son. They are both cops. And they are about to work together as a team. Trouble is... neither can stand the sight of the other. Jacques and Marc have been paired up in order to save the life of a brother officer who has been kidnapped by a biker gang. The success of their mission hinges on a lawyer in crisis. Charles Bérubé may be the bikers' legal representative, but his conscience is giving him such a bad time that he looks ready to betray his clients to the forces of law and order. Jacques and Marc go undercover to get up close and personal with their target. Will they gain Bérubé's trust? Will they coax him into baring his troubled conscience and all the information it contains? The film combines the strengths of a great, classic comedy cop thriller with a hilarious study of a dysfunctional, father-son relationship.
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Movie Reviews
De père en pire....
Funny and entertaining...
This movie has a good dose of humor and is quite funny to watch. It is based on a story of both a father and a son who are both cops and have a difficult time understanding each other as they are totally different, but must still work with each other. It is entertaining and light, and is quite funny because of its inside jokes and clichés of father-son relationships. And even though some of the jokes might not be understood for those who do not live in the province of Quebec, most jokes will be understood by everyone. I would give it 7.5 out of 10 if it was possible, as it is entertaining even though it will never become a great classic movie!
Funny and touching.
I saw this film the first day it came out to the general public. I had seen some previews and interviews on TV with the main actors but I must say that whatever I had seen or heard did not compare at all with the film itself. Firstly, the titles are very imaginative and quite different. The musical track is very interesting. Even if there are no catching musical pieces it is just to the point without being too much. Now for the story itself, the beginning of the film is quite interesting as a police movie and as good and ever better than some I've seen. When you get into the plot itself you never stop laughing and even to the tears sometimes. The actors are fantastic and Louis-José Houde is amazing in his first important role. Those who have seen him in his one-man show will find he is quite natural with some of the same mimics we are used to. Michel Côté is once more incredible as usual. You will discover a great actor in Patrick Drolet as well as all of the others actors. The pictures, especially when they are in therapy in the woods are quite spectacular. I heard some not so good comments coming out of the theater but they came from what I would call older frustrated men who cannot relate to the new way with parents and children.