Le Dîner des idiots: “Bullshit is something wonderful!”

In May 1998, Francis Veber revealed in Première the secrets of a good adaptation of a play to the cinema.

The idiot’s dinner is rebroadcast this evening on TMC. Première met the director of the cult comedy, released 25 years ago, at the time.

“We are enough ” franc “ at the Vebers: his wife is called Françoise, his sister France and he Francis. » This is how, in May 1998, Jean-Yves Katelan began his interview with the director of Dinner for idiots, actually not very fond of the language of wood. Francis Veber delivered his definition of a good “asshole” of cinema, and above all, he explained his method for adapting a triumphant play into a cinematic success.

Because a few days earlier, on April 15, 1998, exactly, The idiots’ dinner was released on the big screen and it attracted spectators in droves to cinemas. Led by its actors in great form (Jacques Villeret, Thierry Lhermitte, Daniel Prévost, Francis Huster and Catherine Frot…), it ended up attracting 9.2 million people in France! A real popular success, the biggest in the career of its creator, despite being accustomed to good box office scores: The fugitives And Freinds had previously passed 4 million entries each, Closet recorded 5.3 million in 2001, and The goat7 million in 1981.

So to wish a happy birthday to the Dîner de cons, “a comedy of undeniable zygomatic effectiveness”we wrote at the time in our reviewwe share below some excerpts from this frankly not stupid interview.

In the preamble, Francis Veber gives his definition of an idiot:

“An idiot is unpredictable. A pain in the ass usually has a reason to bother you; he’s a guy who has an obsession like Brel in The Troubler (Molinaro, 1973) : he wants to find his wife and he’s going to annoy you until he gets there. Whereas an idiot is simply someone who surprises you with their reactions, which can be devastating!

(…)

Bullshit is a wonderful thing. But you have to remain modest: you’re always someone’s idiot.

(…)

To be stupid is very often to be out of touch with the situation. A lack of timing. For example, a personal tragedy happens to you and I absolutely want to make you do a crossword when I should realize, if I were smarter, that now is not the time. It’s a kind of misunderstanding of the other.

(…)

Lack of communication is also a form of defining bullshit. »

Counterexamples of idiots in cinema

“What I wanted to avoid, both in the play and in the film, was to act like a stupid idiot. There are many in theater and cinema. Abbot and Costello, Jim Carrey, Jerry Lewis in he was with Dean Martin… Even Laurel and Hardy: Laurel is completely stupid compared to Hardy who keeps beating him. And he looks stupid. These idiots are much easier to do. »

Moving from theater to cinema

“You shouldn’t be afraid of the unique decor. There’s no point in going outside. Watch films that take place in courthouses! In cinema, it just has to look natural. What helped me a lot was that one of my characters was disabled. His back hurts, so the others come to see him.

(…)

I saw A family resemblance just before, but mainly to see the use of the Scope. We are told all the time: “The Scope is for large landscapes. » But it’s wrong ! Scope is cinema, and it’s as beautiful on a close-up of a face as it is on Niagara Falls. Firstly because the backgrounds are a bit blurry; the actor has presence and that too is de-theatrical. »

The Troubler: “The more dramatic the background, the more bizarrely reinforced the comic effects”

The rhythm of comedy

“I want one thing: for things to go faster. I can’t wait to go to the movies. I find that most films are too long. »

With 80 minutes on the clock (1h20), The idiots’ dinner is indeed a good example of a short and yet devilishly effective comedy. The film quickly became cult thanks to its memorable lines: the famous exchange around “Just Leblanc” or that of Marlène “his sister”, “Monsieur Pignon is cute…”the detailed description of the Eiffel Tower in matches… Without forgetting the uncontrollable fits of laughter from Monsieur Leblanc, precisely.