Zazie dans le metro
Directed by Louis Malle
Written by Louis Malle and Jean-Paul Rappeneau from a novel by Raymond Queneau
1960/France
Nouvelle Editions de Films
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Uncle Gabriel: [Looking at the Eiffel Tower] I wonder why Paris is always pictured as a dame.[/box]
For me, one of the least funny things on the planet is a mean, bratty little kid. Naturally, I hated this movie.
Zazie, a 10-year-old country girl, is left with her Parisian Uncle Gabriel (Philippe Noiret) for a couple of days. Her one goal is to ride the Metro. Unfortunately, it is on strike. So instead, she smart mouths all the adults, gets into a lot of destructive mischief, and has various solo adventures.
This is basically a crazy movie about nothing so a further plot summary is unnecessary. Some continuing characters include a dirty old man, a hapless widow, a taxi driver, etc. Zazie makes life miserable for all of them.
Noiret is one of my favorite actors and Malle is high on my list of directors. I know this is supposed to be a madcap farce. When you add the personality of Zazie to a bunch of unfunny food gags, it only succeeded in irritating me. My husband hated it as well.
Criterion: Three Reasons to watch
