Purely Joyful Movie!

Absolutely amazing

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Like all French film comedy dialogs are almost impossible to translate into another language, a pity because this is a comedy feast of humor, sometimes very dark. The story is simple, it is just an excuse to create a series of hilarious situations in which actors are a pleasure to spread wickedness and stupidity from the sublime sometimes flirt with the excellent taste bad. I do not know if the French actors (Josiane Balasko, Thierry Lhermitte, Gérard Jugnot, Anemone, Martin Lamotte, Bruno Moynot, Anne-Claire Chazel, Christian Clavier, Jacques François) are known in the Anglo-Saxon world, they are famous France for their many comedies, often acidic. The American remake is a true abomination, that it is better never see.

This is the kind of movie you don't mind watching over and over again because its script is so rich, so full of wonderful dialogue and genuinely funny situations, that one view isn't enough to absorb everything. Ultimately, this is a film about the spirit of Christmas in the modern times. We live stressed and frantic lives, so why would Christmas Eve be different form a regular day? That's sort of the premise of this movie.LE PÈRE NOEL EST UNE ORDURE is a black comedy, a very dark one, full of odd characters and bizarre situations. Themes like homosexuality, suicide and murder aren't left behind and spice up this crazy, passionate, comedy set on Christmas Eve.The performances are plain terrific, with no exception. The characters are wonderfully defined and the dialogue is delicious. It's impossible not to laugh. a lot! After a relatively calm beginning, the wacky situations start to pile up in a frenzy rhythm. Being a huge fan of black comedies myself, I prefer a more subtle approach to the themes. The humor here is sometimes histrionic, theatrical and over-the-top. That can be easily accepted because the movie is adapted from a stage play and, in the end, it works in perfection.

There are some movies that you can watch several times and each time you find them better. Le père noël, after a play of the same name, is definitely among these. The dialogs are so rich (and always funny), that every watching reveal you a reply you didn't notice. Every character is well defined and written by/for the actor who plays it with a rare intensity. That's a movie you can't describe or quote out of its context and just have to watch. If you're French, you might already have seen it several times, so this movie is popular here, otherwise I suggest you to watch it, hoping you'll share this typical French "humour".

you can realize that this movie is great just looking at this title. How a christmas night can become the most hilarious movie in French History. Written and played by the friends of the "Splendid" before they split and make other less funny flicks, le pere Noel is a trash look at surrealistic characters who are going to live the most incredible christmas day of their life in the office of "SOS détresses amitié", a phone service in charge to help people feel better . The american remake "mixed nuts" is a shame, that's why, if you haven't see this masterpiece yet, try to get it by all means (legally).