De la Comédie-Française (2026)

Quite nice. Also not longer than necessary (secretly just 10 minutes too long), and although this takes place in a theater, the film really feels like a film, with occasional nice tracking shots and editing that helps set the rhythm. Pleasant music that effectively supports the hurried and stressful atmosphere. Not a world-class film otherwise, and the madness could have been taken much further, but as a quick diversion, it's more than fine. 3.5*.

Translated from Dutch · View original

A farce about the goings-on at the Comédie-Française starting a few hours before the premiere of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth [Suliane Brahim] and part of the crew call in sick due to serious delays. The rest of the cast and crew behave like children and/or amateurs. It degenerates into a tiresome competition of overacting in which almost everyone tries to shout down each other (literally and figuratively) in a futile attempt to be “funny.” This tedious comedy is anything but that. Nor is it a recommendation of the highly regarded Comédie-Française, even though the directors emphasize that they are the only ones who do not belong to it. It should therefore be clear who is primarily responsible for this monstrosity.

Translated from Dutch · View original