Le Grand Bain

A slightly funny, undemanding comedy, whose main problems are too little humor and its exaggerated length. The story is a pool variation on The Full Monty with the message that sports success will solve all your problems, except that the writing and directing are much worse. The introductory one-hour exposition (before training starts properly) is terribly tiring and the metaphors revolving around the wheels and squares are completely out of place. The spectacular final 15 minutes is quite a satisfying redemption for that misery that came before, but it's weird that the swimmers perform choreography that you've never seen them train before. (08.07.2018)

Actually a very successful piece in the field of the therapeutic underdog story, linking it to the much current crisis of aging men losing their place in the new world simply because they can only identify with the patterns of the old world. Synchronized swimming is therefore intended to be the means that, while it should take away from their masculine pride, will instead help them reboot their perception of themselves and allow them to raise their heads again. After all, Gilles Lellouche was more comfortable acting in the roles of gangsters or gritty cops than directing, so he is probably also coping with the pitfalls of approaching fifty with this film. Unlike most overseas comedies, Sink or Swim has two big advantages. The first is that Lellouche and cinematographer Tangy have a flair for images, situations, and working with space, which is why the film is formally quite a bit further along than most of its genre contemporaries. The second is an uncomfortably faithful performance by Mathieu Amalric as an aging man utterly exhausted by two years of depression. The endless fatigue, the distaste, the emptiness, the ambivalence, the laziness, and those brief manic feelings of joy or elation, all lurk in that almost frighteningly devastated gaze of his. Right, and now the reason it's not actually a good film. Because in the end, it reveals that its idea isn't actually to give the characters a new purpose in life and get them back on their feet. Its point is that the source of the protagonists' unhappiness and hardship is actually that they refused to conform to the system (which the film itself has been criticizing thus far) until the very last moment, and in fact their redemption comes from the fact that they finally decided to accept the system. But you can't put a round peg in a square hole, can you? And if you can make the round peg go in the square hole, then where do you draw the line with fitting pegs in holes, eh? (26.03.2019)

Starting a men's synchronized swimming club as a remedy for all kinds of depression isn't a bad idea at all. And if not in life, at least in the movies. There were quite a few opportunities for more or less funny situations, which this comedy didn't make the most of. The start was a bit weaker, but in the second half, I was having fun. The cast was also quite good and I really liked the underwater shots. All in all, I stop just short of four stars with my rating. One final note: The graceful legs above the water in the Team France line-up were definitely not those of the guys fighting for gold medals, which I had to laugh at. (18.09.2020)

A rather tepid comedy for France, where the biggest attraction is Benoit Poelvoorde, who for my taste doesn't have as much space as he should. The male Aquabelles are a novel idea and the casting is spot on. Once the uncompromisingly foul-mouthed wheelchair coach arrives on the scene, the fun is taken care of. The finale is pleasantly touching. An enjoyable film, but more for one viewing only. France has offered funnier pieces. 65% (04.04.2019)

I don't know if it's a conscious or even admitted inspiration from the famous British film The Full Monty, but those who have seen the British comedy will soon realize a considerable similarity in the plot. However, comparing both films reveals weaknesses in the French approach to the material. The British created a funny comedy that feels more realistic, without needing any crutches, and with a much stronger social dimension. The French forcefully make it into a comedy, but this effort misses the mark. It sometimes reminds one of a boxer with good technique and physique, but boxing with their eyes closed. If the film works in any aspect, it's more in the serious moments. Lellouche seems unable to find the right tone and doesn't clarify what he's actually filming. Moreover, the film is significantly damaged by its exaggerated happy ending. It's a shame because Sink or Swim brought together a group of prominent actors from French and Belgian cinema. Overall impression: 45%. (24.08.2020)