Retro Film Review: Dead Tired (Grosse Fatigue, 1994)

Poor execution of otherwise brilliant concepts ruined many Hollywood films, but French film makers too can waste great opportunities. At least this is impression you can have from Dead Tired a.k.a. Grosse Fatigue, 1994 comedy written and directed by Michel Blanc.

In this film, Michel Blanc, famous French movie and TV actor, plays himself. In the beginning of the film he is suffering from writers' block and is unable to finish his latest script. It turns out that this isn't the worst of his problems - actually his whole life becomes one big Twilight Zone episode when he gets accused of hosting sleazy strip contests in backwater towns, not paying bills in restaurants, aggressively propositioning actresses at Cannes Film Festival and even raping some of his closest associates. Blanc simply can't remember any of those incidents, but nobody believes him except his best friend and famous actress Carole Bouqet (played by Carole Bouqet). Convinced that her friend suffered mental breakdown she brings him to remote country estate where he should recover and put his life back in order. But even there they hear news about Blanc's continuing misadventures and the only possible explanation comes in the form of Patrick Olivier (played by Michel Blanc), man who obviously embraced opportunity to abuse his striking resemblance to famous actor.

Originally devised by famous director Berthrand Blier, Dead Tired had great potential as a black comedy that explored the nature of stardom and masses' inability to separate real people from their public image. In doing so, Michel Blanc, who had taken the task of directing, could rely on many of his colleagues who agreed to appear in the film playing themselves (and the list, apart from Blanc and Bouqet, includes such big names like Philippe Noiret, Christian Clavier, Mathilda May and Roman Polanski). Unfortunately, Blanc doesn't handle job of director very well, and the humour in the film is snuffed by the irritating use of fake interviews that contribute little to the general theme or tone of the film. The ending also seems forced, but this is not the movie's greatest problem. Dead Tired has misfortune of being made not only French film, but French film made by French film makers about French film makers and for French film makers and anyone who doesn't belong this group or is familiar to it simply won't be able to fully appreciate this film and many in-jokes. When one of the characters in the film laments about Hollywood destroying French cinema industry he makes good diagnosis. Unfortunately, Dead Tired doesn't provide adequate therapy. It could have provided basis for Hollywood remake with Danny de Vito and Sharon Stone, but that never happened.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on May 8th 2003)

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