Save your money for something good and enjoyable

hyped garbage

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Bienvenue chez les Ch'Tis is a French comedy film about a dishonest post office manager who is sent to the "dreaded" north of France for a job transfer. The movie focuses on stereotypes as Philippe Abrams, the main character, slowly warms up to the region and its people. While this movie does have some chuckle worthy one-liners, there is not much else to make this movie likable. The characters are meant to be charming, but they tend to fall flat due to poor acting and a bland plot. Most of the jokes are based off the main characters being drunk, while the rest of the movie is predictable and cliché- at almost every scene, what is coming next is as clear as day. The actors didn't have good dynamics with each other, and it seemed like the romantic leads were just paired together with no thought to on-screen chemistry. Overall, this movie is not worth watching despite its occasional amusing moment.

What a delightful French comedy. I agree with those reviewers who complemented the producers on the excellent job with the English subtitles. I'm sure that we miss some of the nuances in the spoken dialogs; but I found much humor in the subtitles as done. I don't have sufficient knowledge left from university-learned French and short trips to the Riviera when stationed in the military decades ago to be able to follow the normal dialog in a film. So, having the subtitles sold the movie to me. This is a very good story about people, stereotypes and how our misconceptions can be so wrong and hurt one's understanding of different cultures – even in regions within one's own country. We Americans especially should realize that cultural differences exist between regions of all of the larger European countries – especially France, Germany, Italy and Spain. So, besides the comedy, I found the exploration of this theme very interesting for France. The scenes of the towns, countryside and coast in the far north of France were interesting. It was in this area – from Lille to the English Channel 40 miles (64 km) away, that the major French and British forces were surrounded by superior German units in May 1940. That ended with the Battle of Dunkirk and heroic rescue of 330,000 troops across the channel to England. Of course, Calais is also not far from there, and that's where the German's had concentrated their strength to defend against an Allied invasion from across the English Channel. The land sailing scene was very interesting with Phillipe (played very well by Kad Merad) and Antoine (played very well by Dany Boon). That beach scene must have been shot somewhere close to Dunkirk or Calais.In America, it's common for people to travel across country, East to West, North to South, and all directions in between. So, it may seem odd that people of southern France should have such a misconception about the climate and weather in the northern part of their country. The movie dispels all of that for the audience. The scenes in the early part of the movie are hilarious. Philippe and his family dread the severe cold he will have to endure, and his son Raphael worried that his day may lose his toes. At first I thought this was intentional exaggeration for the humor, but when Phillipe's wife Julie (played very well by Zoe Felix) buys him a heavy padded winter coat, I wondered if many people in the south of France didn't take such things for real. So, out of curiosity I did some climate comparisons between Aix-en- Provence and Lille, France. The horizontal distance between the two communities is about 500 miles (800 km). The latitude difference is about 7 degrees from about 30.5 to 43.5 North. The average high and low temperatures for the month of July at Provence are 84 and 64 degrees F. For the same month, the average high and low at Lille is 75 and 57 F. The spread is very close – 20 degrees difference at Provence and 18 degrees different at Lille. But what is most interesting is the difference between the two locales for high and low. Provence averages 7 to 9 degree F warmer during July than Lille. But there is even much less difference during the winter. The average high and low for January at Provence are 52 and 36 F. They are 45 and 36 F at Lille. The difference between the high temperatures for January at Provence and Lille is only 7 degrees F. And there is no difference between the average low for the two locales. Both places average 36 F for the low during January. So, if the people in Lille would lose their toes to the cold, so would the people of Provence. The disparity from high to low in January is greater at Provence – 16 degrees F. For Lille, the disparity is only 9 degrees F. The annual disparity from lowest to highest average is greatest for Provence. The average difference is 48 degrees F. That for Lille is just 39 degrees F. I didn't check precipitation or sunlight, but on the basis of temperature swings alone, Lille in the North has a more moderate climate than does Provence in the South. This is based on data taken off the Internet on January 19, 2015. I looked for some comparisons in the U.S., but most with exact distances (about 500 miles or 800 kilometers), had major geographic or climate differences that gave far different results. For instance, New Orleans to St. Louis is about 600 horizontal miles (960 km) with a latitude difference of about 70 – the same as between Provence and Lillie, France. But the average high temperatures for July are the same for New Orleans and St. Louis – 90 degrees F. The average lows for July are 76 and 71 degrees F, respectively. The winter temperatures vary the most. The average January high at New Orleans is 62 and at St. Louis it's 38. That's a disparity of 24 degrees F. The average low for January is even more – 47 at New Orleans and 21 at St. Louis. For a 26-degree F spread. So, it's much colder – and truly freezing in January to go from New Orleans to St. Louis in the U.S., than it is for French people to go from Provence to Lille. And remember, St. Louis is hardly in the North of the U.S. While France overall is at a more northern latitude than is the U.S., its climate and temperature ranges are more moderate from region to region. I just thought some French movie buffs might find that a little interesting. This is a good and most enjoyable film. I heartily recommend it.

This is a very funny film by any country's standards. It DOES assume you know something about French geographic stereotypes, but if you have a French buddy by your side (or you have an Aunt who used to live there like I did), then they can clarify it to you really quick. Here's my quick lesson: Southern France - Rich, pastoral, civilized, good...Northern France - the boonies. Of course, that's the prevailing stereotype played for laughs, but the laughs come not from the truth of it, but because of the opposite. And then it gets even more fun and freewheeling. If French is not your mother tongue, the English subtitles do a good job it translating not just standard French, but country accents and slang. You see that there is a difference between the way people talk in different regions. The set-up of the movie is funny and the end pay-off is very satisfying. The characters are all memorable and warm. There is no bad guy, just people who grow to care about each other. In the end, it is about embracing people for who they are as much as it is about standing up for yourself. And it is sooooooo nice to finally see a modern continental European movie without a gratuitous sex scene. The continent could learn quite a bit about filming innocence and whimsy and not always depicting gritty realism. This movie is a great comedy!

A year ago, exploring northern France after attending a 2CV rally, my wife and I came across the charming town of Bergues. 'Bienvenu...' had just been released and the town was swarming with tourists and advertisements for the film. A few weeks later we caught the film in England, when it played at our local 'art' cinema. The film's a delight. We've just borrowed it on DVD and it again reduced us to tears of laughter; a warm, funny film about the destruction of pomposity and prejudice and the value of that most important of human relationships, friendship. Great slapstick moments and English subtitles that reflect the word play arising from the interplay between the slushy local dialect - Ch'ti - and French. See the film, then visit the town - both are delightful.