30 Second Bottom Line: When he accidentally learns that he is about to be fired, an accountant implements an outrageous scheme to save his job. It works, but with some very unintended consequences that change his life forever.
Story Line: Two years ago, Christine (Alexandra Vandernoot) left her husband Francois Pignon (Daniel Auteuil) because he was such a bore. She uses her answering machine to screen his calls and never talks to him. The extent of her communication is to ensure that the alimony continues for her and the child support for their 17-year-old son Franck (Stanislas Crevillen). The son also thinks that his father is a bore and he too avoids him, which causes Francois considerable emotional pain.
When Pignon learns that he is about to be fired from his job as an accountant at a local prophylactic factory, in a workforce reduction, he becomes suicidal. A new neighbor named Belone (Michel Aumont) saves him because he finds a way to make Pignon talk. Belone comes up with the idea that if Pignon says he is gay, they won't fire him because the company would get a backlash from the gay community. After all, their main product is condoms.
Pignon reluctantly agrees and then changes his mind, but not before Belone has already dropped doctored photographs in the mail to the Human Resources (HR) office. This results in spreading the word that Pignon is gay. It does however save his job, at least for the moment.
Felix Santini (Gerard Depardieu) works in HR and he loves to engage in gay bash talking. To his surprise, he is told that he may be fired because someone has to go in the cut back. Besides, Santini's open hostility towards gays is bad for business. Santini develops an insincere friendship with Pignon, and before long his wife Agnes (Michele Garcia) suspects he's having an affair. It seems that if Santini is not making homophobic remarks about gays, he's making racist remarks about black workers such as Victor (Thierry Ashanti). The irony of this coming from someone in HR squarely plants the tongue in cheek humor of the film.
Mlle. Bertrand is an attractive woman who is the manager of the accounting department and is Pignon's boss. Several men in the firm would like to have sex with Bertrand, but she seems to be all business. While many say that they always suspected Pignon was gay, Bertrand says he just seems like a normal man who happens to be sad.
Things get real crazy when Moreau (Luq Hamet), an assistant to the director of the company, suggests that Pignon ride in the gay pride parade. Finally Pignon says yes and when his son sees him on television, he thinks Dad is maybe not such a bore. Even Christine wants to meet with him face to face.
Tell Me More About It: This is big time funny on par with Meet the Parents. In some ways I like it better. There is more genuine social satire here that makes it special. It's a pleasure to see Auteuil play the lead in such a funny film after being so serious in Widow of St. Pierre and The Girl on the Bridge, both of which are excellent movies.
It takes coming out of the closet -so to speak- for Pignon to become a man, able to stand up to his ex-wife and establish a real relationship with his son. Do you know who you really are? Are you true to yourself…not just sexually, but your fundamental personality?
Not Rated ( explicit sex; nudity; drugs; violence; language)
DVD