Envoyés très spéciaux (Special Correspondents)

[pro-bassoonist]

Europa Corp. are set to release Frédéric Auburtin' Envoyés très spéciaux a.k.a Special Correspondents (2009) on July 29th in Gallic territories.

Official site and trailer:
http://www.ets-lefilm.com/

Variety:

A hilarious wartime satire that mocks the media's obsession with all things jihad, "Special Correspondents" reps a welcome alternative to typical mainstream Gallic comedies. With a more pertinent message and smarter scripting than expected of a film that, like most French farces, kicks off with an act of adultery, the pic dishes out a witty and inventive tale of two radio reporters who pretend they've been kidnapped in Iraq, although they never actually leave Paris. Hefty late-January release should reach a fair number of local listeners; overseas, these "Correspondents" deserve to be heard, even if only through remake.

While Hollywood -- from "Three Kings" to the latest "Harold and Kumar" -- has produced several Middle East- and terrorism-themed comedies over the years, the French film industry (like its government) has been more prudent when it comes to handling such issues. But scribes Simon Michael ("The Very Very Big Company") and Jacques Labib go straight for the jugular here, clearly taking inspiration from the much-publicized kidnappings of several French journalists that took place in Iraq in 2004-05.

The premise is quickly set up in an understated comic tone that delivers laughs within the absurd (but almost believable) situations. Radio news star Franck (Gerard Lanvin), whose talents lie more in storytelling than in factual reporting, is sent with sound man Poussin (Gerard Jugnot) to cover the war in Iraq. When Poussin accidentally throws away their travel money, the two decide to lie low in a friend's Parisian apartment, broadcasting "live" from Basrah and Baghdad via a satellite phone and lots of cleverly inserted sound effects.

The routine gets out of hand when Franck's so-called war stories begin affecting the actual conflict. Things also get complicated by Franck inadvertently sleeping with Poussin's wife (Valerie Kaprisky) before their mission. As the team's antics come dangerously close to being uncovered, Poussin's marital crisis places an immovable wedge between the two "correspondents."

Pic's funniest moments reveal, to a troubling degree, how easy it is to bluff a listening public that's all too ready to be plunged into the treacherous conflict. As Franck's smooth voice and poetic rhetoric cleverly bring Iraq's streets to life, Poussin mixes in a soundtrack of plucking chickens, rattling Kalashnikovs and general explosions. Another knockout sequence has the two producing a faux terrorist ransom video, which winds up making them national heroes.

Lanvin acts his scenes absolutely straight-faced, and Jugnot is the quintessential working-class lump. Thesps are a terrific comic duo, underplaying the gags and revealing their characters' mutual admiration as the action advances.

Smooth camerawork by Pierre Aim ("Welcome to the Sticks") thankfully resorts to little trickery, allowing the situations to speak for themselves.

Camera (color), Pierre Aim; editor, Beatrice Herminie; music, Jean-Yves d'Angelo; production designer, Jean-Luc Raoul; costume designer, Karen Muller-Sereau; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS Digital), Dominique Lacour, Herve Guyader, Eric Tisserand; assistant director, Nathalie Engelstein, casting, Gerard Moulevrier. Reviewed at UGC Cine Cite Les Halles 4, Paris, Jan. 24, 2009. Running time: 92 MIN.

Pro-B