The Closet (or, La Placard in French) is an outre comedy based on political correctness in the workplace. The film takes a lighter look at the dynamics of "the office" and turns traditional thinking on its head. The premise is brilliant, the execution decent. An film that is mindless wacky fun.
What occupation could be duller than accountant? Maybe the guy that makes sure the "M" is printed on the M&M's? I don't know. But accounting seems like a pretty good starting place for a character that has no character. A bland, run-of-the-mill John Doe that people barely notice. The dullard in The Closetis an accountant at a condom factory named Francois Pignon (or pigeon as others like to call him). Francois is the victim of corporate down-sizing...it seems that his job has been deemed redundant. He won't be missed...it seems he does not interact with any of his co-workers anyway.
Francois (Daniel Auteuil) is ready to jump to his death when his plans are rudely interrupted by his new neighbor Belone (Michel Aumont). Together, the two new neighbors hatch a plan to save the dullard's job. Belone photoshops three pictures of men in a gay bar dressed in assless chaps. The photos are then anonymously mailed to the company. Francois has already been fired, but the company reconsiders out of fear of reprisal from the gay community, which are a large segment of their target demographic. Francois suddenly finds himself the center of attention and actually becomes engaging. He also finds himself compromised by his female boss Mlle Bertrand (Michele Laroque) whom he accuses of sexual harassment.
The changing office dynamics and opportunism pursued by Francois' co-workers create an atmosphere where anything can happen. Francois' teenage son Franck (Stanislas Crevillen) suddenly finds him more interesting. A co-worker, Felix (Gerard Depardieu) gets in touch with his feminine side and Francois embraces his new found ability to breathe the air. The situations are manipulated by Writer/Director Francis Veber, who creates some decent comedy through contrived methods. Although contrived, there are some funny skits that make this silly campy film endearing.
Other than Depardieu, I am unfamiliar with much of the cast. Depardieu had a decent and slightly challenging role that he appeared to embrace. He was great. Auteuil was convincing, going from drab and uninteresting to likable and captivating. Laroque was bookish, attractive and projected a keen intellect that made her role as the boss that sees through Francois' ploy believable. The cast did an admirable job with a quirky script.
The Closetwas rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America. The film has one sex scene with exposed male buttocks shot from a good (thankfully) distance. There was some drug use, routine alcohol consumption (Wine...this is shot in France) and sexual themes. The adult themes, which form the crux of the script, would be enough for me to give careful consideration to the age group for this film. Although not overly sexual, it is patently sensual and adult...making me think that the rating was a little harsh but not unfair. This film is probably a little higher than PG-13...and should be fine for teenage audiences.
I laughed out loud several times while watching The Closet. The script was a bit engineered to tie sketch ideas together into a coherent screenplay. Although the skits were often funny, it felt a little bit manipulative. I have an offbeat sense of humor, so I enjoyed the silly sketches. Poking fun at political correctness is always enjoyable, too. The acting was decent enough to make the film worth recommending. Decent fun for an older foreign film. 7.5/10.
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