Well this movie is one of the greatest comedies I've ever seen. If the movie lasts 1h 20 min you'll laugh maybe 1h 20min. Gerard Depardieu and Jean Reno's (perhaps the two greatest French actors) performances are amazing. They play the part of a fool (Gerard Depardieu) and an intelligent murderer (Jean Reno). The story is also good, not too silly and not too serious. The movie isn't very long which is great too (you know comedies mustn't be too long).I strongly recommend this film for people of all ages (I'm 13 years old, i saw it with my mom and she thought the movie was great too). I had seen some French films before and they were good, I'm starting to like French films and this is not the exception.
51 Reviews
It was great fun
Luigi Di Pilla20 September 2005
I watched this funny film on DVD with our family during our summer holidays 2005 in Nice, South of France. I have never heard before and I have to admit that this was one of the funniest films I've ever seen and I never laughed so much as here. Gérard Dépardieu and Jean Reno were incredibly full of fun in their roles as thieves and delivered an extraordinary performance. At the beginning I didn't recognize Dépardieu because he had a completely changed look and I mean it in a positive way.
I highly recommend to see it. Rating: 8/10.
If you liked it don't miss the other fun movie starring Jean Reno in "L'Enquiète Corse".
I highly recommend to see it. Rating: 8/10.
If you liked it don't miss the other fun movie starring Jean Reno in "L'Enquiète Corse".
Not among the best Veber works, but has great moments
michelerealini13 October 2005
That's another movie of great Francis Veber, the master of French comedy. After masterpieces like "La chèvre", "Le diner des cons" and "Le placard" Veber creates a new story, where two prisoners escape from jail. Veber's formula is always the same: putting together two people who have nothing in common, like a cat and a dog. From that we have many situations of misunderstandings.
The film is fun, although not among the best Francis Veber works. The first part is great and lively, in the second one the movie loses some speed and the story is less exciting.
Some moments are nevertheless memorable, for example all the prison scenes and the beginning of the friendship between Gérard Depardieu and Jean Reno. These situations are really hilarious!
Depardieu and Reno are big actors and work well together. Dialogs, once again, are the main ingredient in Francis Veber style.
Not a masterpiece, as I said, but enjoyable.
The film is fun, although not among the best Francis Veber works. The first part is great and lively, in the second one the movie loses some speed and the story is less exciting.
Some moments are nevertheless memorable, for example all the prison scenes and the beginning of the friendship between Gérard Depardieu and Jean Reno. These situations are really hilarious!
Depardieu and Reno are big actors and work well together. Dialogs, once again, are the main ingredient in Francis Veber style.
Not a masterpiece, as I said, but enjoyable.
Money well spent
missmarmite13 July 2004
The film posters are all over the city, in almost every underground station you can see them. Normally that makes me suspicious. Films with too much advertising usually are bad and in desperate need of viewers. So I went to the cinema with a funny feeling in my stomach. I love to see both leading actors very much and do so for years. I don't care what they do, I go and see it. But of course I prefer a good film to a bad one. And I thought a film with both my best-loved French actors couldn't fail.
And you know what? The funny feeling in my stomach... gone after the first five minutes!!! This is a typical Francis Veber film, but one of the better ones, definitely. I laughed so much, my jaw started hurting after a while. I can't say, that there were no stereotypes in there, that the story is brilliant or that the jokes were completely new. In this film what counts are the two leading performances next to strong supporting ones, the fact that there is no boring moment and the Francis Veber touch to the script. Afterwards, coming out of the cinema, I felt good for the rest of the day and I know I will buy the DVD when it comes out. Sometimes I think it's fair to define a good film just by the good feeling you have while watching it.
9 out of 10.
And you know what? The funny feeling in my stomach... gone after the first five minutes!!! This is a typical Francis Veber film, but one of the better ones, definitely. I laughed so much, my jaw started hurting after a while. I can't say, that there were no stereotypes in there, that the story is brilliant or that the jokes were completely new. In this film what counts are the two leading performances next to strong supporting ones, the fact that there is no boring moment and the Francis Veber touch to the script. Afterwards, coming out of the cinema, I felt good for the rest of the day and I know I will buy the DVD when it comes out. Sometimes I think it's fair to define a good film just by the good feeling you have while watching it.
9 out of 10.
Objectively vs Subjectively
SilverOrlov21 June 2018
a typical Francis Veber product
dbdumonteil8 September 2006
In the delicious "le Dîner De Cons" (1998) by the same director Francis Veber, Pierre Brochant (Thierry Lhermitte) says to his doctor on a dogged tone: "I've got a damn fool of world class tonight!...". The viewer who discovers "Tais-toi!" for the very first time could attribute as well this opinion to Quentin from Montargis (Gérard Depardieu) in this film. The IQ of this character is so low that the wardens in prisons and the male nurses in psychiatric hospitals can't stand him until one day, he makes the acquaintance of a taciturn inmate Ruby (Jean Reno) and thinks he's his friend because unlike all the ones Thomas met in his life, Ruby never tells him to shut up. The two men escape in a preposterous way and are soon tracked down by the police and the underworld...
For many French viewers, Francis Veber is the guarantee of a quality entertaining movie. Throughout the years this respectable scenarist gained a large reputation thanks to a recognizable comic recipe: the mismatched duo of men. Two men with a very different disposition who have to be and to face together unexpected situations. This formula gave laugh-filled works like "la Chèvre" (1981), "les Fugitifs" (1986) when it wasn't pure genius with "le Dîner De Cons" I mentioned earlier.
With "Tais-Toi!", he remains faithful to his cinematographic writing and coming after the dismaying "le Placard" (2001), it is a few notches above his precedent work. Of course, it never reaches the pinnacle of "le Dîner De Cons" but the Veber touch can be felt here and there. This man is a mastermind when it comes to depict the persona of his duo of men between the grouchy, ominous Ruby and his partner, the silly, simple-minded Quentin or to put verbal wit in hilarious dialogs. And it would be hard to resist taut, droll moments.
If the 2003 vintage is more palatable than the 2001 one, that doesn't make a great film for all that. Apart from indisputable assets, Veber's scenario is plagued by a humdrum imagination and a lackluster directing to weave an immaculate story for our maladjusted duo of men. Most of the film consists in a chase with fights, shooting and stunts a little lazily filmed during which the director doesn't appear to be at ease in spite of the fantastic steps his tandem goes through. What also hampers the venture is its ultra-mapped direction and a patchy direction of actors. It would be hard to resist the blissful ignorant Gérard Depardieu but Jean Reno is a more debatable choice for he's unable to shade his acting even if Veber wrote him some witty lines.
I would be tempted to write that this film showcases Veber's strong points and his limits. When he stays confined to the grounds of comedy, Francis Veber is in his element. But when he tries to make a foray into other cinema territories or to incorporate his comical gifts in it, laughter are too scattered even rare. Even if "Tais-toi!" isn't to be hammered, it will be soon forgotten after the screening.
For many French viewers, Francis Veber is the guarantee of a quality entertaining movie. Throughout the years this respectable scenarist gained a large reputation thanks to a recognizable comic recipe: the mismatched duo of men. Two men with a very different disposition who have to be and to face together unexpected situations. This formula gave laugh-filled works like "la Chèvre" (1981), "les Fugitifs" (1986) when it wasn't pure genius with "le Dîner De Cons" I mentioned earlier.
With "Tais-Toi!", he remains faithful to his cinematographic writing and coming after the dismaying "le Placard" (2001), it is a few notches above his precedent work. Of course, it never reaches the pinnacle of "le Dîner De Cons" but the Veber touch can be felt here and there. This man is a mastermind when it comes to depict the persona of his duo of men between the grouchy, ominous Ruby and his partner, the silly, simple-minded Quentin or to put verbal wit in hilarious dialogs. And it would be hard to resist taut, droll moments.
If the 2003 vintage is more palatable than the 2001 one, that doesn't make a great film for all that. Apart from indisputable assets, Veber's scenario is plagued by a humdrum imagination and a lackluster directing to weave an immaculate story for our maladjusted duo of men. Most of the film consists in a chase with fights, shooting and stunts a little lazily filmed during which the director doesn't appear to be at ease in spite of the fantastic steps his tandem goes through. What also hampers the venture is its ultra-mapped direction and a patchy direction of actors. It would be hard to resist the blissful ignorant Gérard Depardieu but Jean Reno is a more debatable choice for he's unable to shade his acting even if Veber wrote him some witty lines.
I would be tempted to write that this film showcases Veber's strong points and his limits. When he stays confined to the grounds of comedy, Francis Veber is in his element. But when he tries to make a foray into other cinema territories or to incorporate his comical gifts in it, laughter are too scattered even rare. Even if "Tais-toi!" isn't to be hammered, it will be soon forgotten after the screening.
Crazy maze
tributarystu10 September 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Guessing one-two's are the best things which can happen to a human being, Tais-Toi tosses the ball from Depardieu(Quentin-eccentric thief) to Reno(Ruby-cold hearted killer) and back. Two of the better actors whose fame surpassed the borders of their (more or less) native country team up in this rather silly comedy.
Spoilers
If the movie had continued the way it began, then there might have been more to it: a lunatic thief tries to rob an exchange office, but most unfortunately he can only help himself with some foreign currencies. Which, of course, would be of little use. Fun idea. This eccentric maniac lands in prison where he drives all his fellow inmates mad, until - one happy day - he meets the other guy, an assassin who stole a lot of money from a very nasty individual. Because his plans require it, the bad killer doesn't speak a word with anyone and after an attempted suicide, he gets his own comfortable bed in the prison hospital. But Quentin - who had finally found someone able to listen to his endless and annoying monologues - isn't ready to give up on his newly found "friend" and follows him; first to the hospital wing and then to a psychiatric institution. The whacko films gets on going once the two criminals escape the institution after an odd mix-up.
Both leading actors have their charms, but, given their past films, maybe Depardieu shines a bit more. The two are a fun team whose actions follow the traditional "guidelines" with the usual slip-ups and craziness. But for that, there's little to praise and even though, all together, the film is enjoyable, it lacks ingenuity and original laughs.
Spoilers
If the movie had continued the way it began, then there might have been more to it: a lunatic thief tries to rob an exchange office, but most unfortunately he can only help himself with some foreign currencies. Which, of course, would be of little use. Fun idea. This eccentric maniac lands in prison where he drives all his fellow inmates mad, until - one happy day - he meets the other guy, an assassin who stole a lot of money from a very nasty individual. Because his plans require it, the bad killer doesn't speak a word with anyone and after an attempted suicide, he gets his own comfortable bed in the prison hospital. But Quentin - who had finally found someone able to listen to his endless and annoying monologues - isn't ready to give up on his newly found "friend" and follows him; first to the hospital wing and then to a psychiatric institution. The whacko films gets on going once the two criminals escape the institution after an odd mix-up.
Both leading actors have their charms, but, given their past films, maybe Depardieu shines a bit more. The two are a fun team whose actions follow the traditional "guidelines" with the usual slip-ups and craziness. But for that, there's little to praise and even though, all together, the film is enjoyable, it lacks ingenuity and original laughs.
Francis Veber has done it again!
tomlevi12 April 2004
I have just returned from the cinema with a burst of energy!
Without doubt, this is THE funniest movie that I have ever seen in my life...be it in French or English. Francis Veber has produced a film that not only equals his earlier works, Le Placard (The Closet - 2001) and Le Diner de Cons (The Dinner Game - 1998), but surpasses them by miles. The entire cinema was rocking with laughter.
And without spoiling the comedy by disclosing some hillarious punchlines, I recommend this film to all cinema-goers, be they French- or English-speakers.
Do yourself a favour... GO AND SEE IT!
10/10.
Without doubt, this is THE funniest movie that I have ever seen in my life...be it in French or English. Francis Veber has produced a film that not only equals his earlier works, Le Placard (The Closet - 2001) and Le Diner de Cons (The Dinner Game - 1998), but surpasses them by miles. The entire cinema was rocking with laughter.
And without spoiling the comedy by disclosing some hillarious punchlines, I recommend this film to all cinema-goers, be they French- or English-speakers.
Do yourself a favour... GO AND SEE IT!
10/10.
Shut up!
jotix1008 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Quentin is an amateur bank robber that has no clue as to the value of the money he demands; he cannot compute in his mind the value of Japanese yen, from a pound sterling. In fact, he is the bandit from hell, anyone's worst nightmare. Although not a complete idiot, Quentin's brain works like that of a child. His luck runs out when the police finds out and give chase. He finds refuge in a movie complex and the film he chooses is an animated feature targeted for children.
Ruby, another Parisian criminal, makes the mistake of having an affair with Sandra, the wife of a powerful man, Vogel. She ends up dead, and the boss decides to go after the man that dared to double cross him. Ruby becomes a target for Vogel's revenge. Fortunately for him, the police gets to him first and he lands in jail. Ruby, who plays at being mute, is paired with Quentin, who up to that point has not been able to share his quarter with anyone.
These two different characters team up in unexpected ways as they are made to share a cell in prison. Quentin, who is super kinetic, contrasts with the taciturn Ruby, a man that refuses to talk. With the help of a friend, Quentin and Ruby escape their confinement in a daring feat no one could imagine. Then, their troubles begin.
Francis Veber, a man that has spent his career writing and directing comedies for the French cinema, has had some hits and his share of misfires. Hollywood has adapted some of his work successfully. This film falls in the middle, neither the success it was supposed to be, nor a failure either.
A Gerard Depardieu sporting teased hair, has worked under M. Veber before. He shows up as Quintin, the naive man facing a hostile world. He never stops for a minute. In a way, the actor tires us because he makes us dizzy with his antics . Jean Reno, who can do comedy, is plays the straight man in the film. His performance is more restrained. As a team the actors have some good moments in this mildly funny film. The supporting cast includes Richard Berry, Andre Dussolier, Jean-Pierre Malo, the funny Ticky Holgado, and Leonor Varela in a dual role that does not make much sense.
The film takes us all over Paris, as seen through Luciano Tovoli's camera. The musical score is by Marco Prince.
Ruby, another Parisian criminal, makes the mistake of having an affair with Sandra, the wife of a powerful man, Vogel. She ends up dead, and the boss decides to go after the man that dared to double cross him. Ruby becomes a target for Vogel's revenge. Fortunately for him, the police gets to him first and he lands in jail. Ruby, who plays at being mute, is paired with Quentin, who up to that point has not been able to share his quarter with anyone.
These two different characters team up in unexpected ways as they are made to share a cell in prison. Quentin, who is super kinetic, contrasts with the taciturn Ruby, a man that refuses to talk. With the help of a friend, Quentin and Ruby escape their confinement in a daring feat no one could imagine. Then, their troubles begin.
Francis Veber, a man that has spent his career writing and directing comedies for the French cinema, has had some hits and his share of misfires. Hollywood has adapted some of his work successfully. This film falls in the middle, neither the success it was supposed to be, nor a failure either.
A Gerard Depardieu sporting teased hair, has worked under M. Veber before. He shows up as Quintin, the naive man facing a hostile world. He never stops for a minute. In a way, the actor tires us because he makes us dizzy with his antics . Jean Reno, who can do comedy, is plays the straight man in the film. His performance is more restrained. As a team the actors have some good moments in this mildly funny film. The supporting cast includes Richard Berry, Andre Dussolier, Jean-Pierre Malo, the funny Ticky Holgado, and Leonor Varela in a dual role that does not make much sense.
The film takes us all over Paris, as seen through Luciano Tovoli's camera. The musical score is by Marco Prince.
Another Master piece of laugh from Francis Veber
casrob11 August 2004
Francis Veber has been known for his ability to construct extremely entertaining films. Most of his films are built in the same way, very classical. This mix includes 2 main characters, who basically shouldn't have anything to do with each other but who due to circumstances get together. Then you add a couple of truculent second roles and a series of inevitable clashes between those two. This structure was used among others in "La Chèvre (The Goat) 1981", starring Pierre Richard and Gerard Depardieu. An interesting point about Depardieu is that while he played the tough guy in The Goat, he got the opposite role, the stupid, nice guy in "Tais-toi (Ruby & Quentin)". Needless to say he is evenly amazing in both, even more as the stupid character where he brings such a pure, simple sense of humanity that you can't feel sympathy for him. Both films deserves their place in an anthology of french humour. Francis Veber likes those -a little bit simple- guys because they offer a lot of potential for comic situations. And while you laugh at these naive character, it's never aimed to make fool of them. Their humanity always eventually prevail and even the tough guy, the one who just wanted to get rid of them at the beginning of the film, finally likes them. In their simplicity, they saw or did things a tough guy would never do, but in a certain unlikely way, they helped. So Tais-toi is a skillfully crafted piece of pure enjoyment, I would even say a master work in the comedy category. No dead moments, every single line of the script is there for a single purpose: to entertain us without appealing to our worst instincts. On the contrary.
Funny but not laugh out loud funny....and it makes for a decent time-passer.
planktonrules31 May 2018
Francis Veber is one of my favorite French filmmakers, with some amazingly clever comedies to his credit, such as "The Closet" and "The Dinner Game". However, compared to his best films, I'd place "Tais-Toi!" just below them...watchable and enjoyable but nothing more.
The story begins with Quentin (Gérard Depardieu) getting arrested for an armed robbery. However, it's obvious that he's very dumb...incredibly dumb. He also loves to talk a lot and subsequently annoys his various cellmates in jail. Eventually, Ruby (Jean Reno) is placed in the same cell...because he's refused to say even a word to the police following his stealing a gang of professional thieves' loot. The police hope that Quentin will drive Ruby crazy....just like he did with his previous cellmates.
Oddly, Quentin thinks Ruby is his best buddy...even though for much of the film Ruby says nothing to him. And, since Ruby is his 'buddy', Quentin is determined to help his friend escape. As for Ruby, his only goal is to get out in order to kill the gang leader. After all, he murdered Ruby's girlfriend and paybacks are definitely in order.
Throughout the film, Quentin annoys the heck out of Ruby...a bit like the idiot in "The Dinner Game" annoyed his host. These moments are enjoyable and overall the film is worth seeing even if it is a tad formulaic towards the end.
The story begins with Quentin (Gérard Depardieu) getting arrested for an armed robbery. However, it's obvious that he's very dumb...incredibly dumb. He also loves to talk a lot and subsequently annoys his various cellmates in jail. Eventually, Ruby (Jean Reno) is placed in the same cell...because he's refused to say even a word to the police following his stealing a gang of professional thieves' loot. The police hope that Quentin will drive Ruby crazy....just like he did with his previous cellmates.
Oddly, Quentin thinks Ruby is his best buddy...even though for much of the film Ruby says nothing to him. And, since Ruby is his 'buddy', Quentin is determined to help his friend escape. As for Ruby, his only goal is to get out in order to kill the gang leader. After all, he murdered Ruby's girlfriend and paybacks are definitely in order.
Throughout the film, Quentin annoys the heck out of Ruby...a bit like the idiot in "The Dinner Game" annoyed his host. These moments are enjoyable and overall the film is worth seeing even if it is a tad formulaic towards the end.
Unexpectedly funny
eLeKtriK-EyE15 April 2004
I watched this movie accidentally (other theatres were closed during the Easter) but it turned out to be my best choice! I laughed throughout the movie. Gérard Depardieu is giving his best, and so is Jean Reno. The plot is simple, but enough to make you laugh. There are fast changing scenes but that's ok, in fact the director skips the non-funny parts this way :) Only flaw, some violence scenes that could be avoided (gunshots and wounds).
A must-see.
9/10
A must-see.
9/10
Comedy by all the Winning Numbers
Adorable20 June 2004
In the recent annals of French film exports there has been quite the abundance of titles specifically tailored and pandering to someone's idea of international tastes, resulting in often good, but largely superficial, attempts a la the Taxi franchise and Brotherhood of the Wolf.
Luckily, Three Fugitives director Francis Veber supervised a candid project rekindling interest in Franco comedy of the old school, uplifting variety. Brief and efficient, the movie succeeds in creating distinct characters while doing away with extra baggage and needless posturing. It also balances elegant slapstick with witty verbiage, often producing hilarious situations by way of brilliant composition standing firm on foundations of truly humorous prose. Gerard Depardieu comes in as Quentin, a kindly career thief and full time doofus with a knack for ceaseless mouthing off and mental wanderlust. His hapless misadventures land him in prison time and again, but since none of the inmates can withstand his wide-eyed pestering, authorities soon resort to pairing him with Ruby (Jean Reno), a hardened assassin bent on whacking his former boss, Vogel. The latter made the mistake of putting Ruby's femme six feet under, and now must face the stolid operator's wrath. With Quentin trailing him and unilaterally deciding the two should become close friends and business partners, Ruby's plans need to bring into account a whole mess of accidental hijinx stemming from the surprisingly youthful Depardieu's bumbling naivete and grossly imaginative daydreaming. Of course, the old adage about two opposites working well together soon rings true, with the duo deftly outpacing both police and mob overlord. All this transpires amid a series of situations likely to put a smile even on vehemently stern faces. Not as reliant on one-liners as many other comedies, Tais Toi pools its resources from springs of clever dialogue and genuinely outlandish protagonists, such as superb actor Jean-Pierre Malo's supposedly menacing Vogel, whose sinister agenda falls prey either to the two runaway heroes' cunning pranks, or his own posse of incompetent henchmen.
Dialing in at under 90 minutes, Tais Toi's remarkably solid content gets the job done in a host of ways save for the obvious, and for that wins extra credit as a real, Paris-flavored caper of the type we thought ended when disastrous atrocities like Dumb and Dumber became the norm.
Additionally, after so many years of seeing him execute Hollywood's typecasting notions in various projects such as Leon, Godzilla, Rollerball and, for shame, Mission: Impossible, witnessing Reno in native mode does warm the heart and hone the old senses. We even picked up some French slang thanks to him, although why Parissiennes refer to cops as Le Flick remains a mystery. The only niggle some point one may call attention to has to be the movie's rather annoying product placement, with one short scene taking place at a UGC cineplex somewhere in Paris. Eagle-eyed members of the audience will note that UGC also produced Tais Toi, making their logo's prominence more than merely suspect. But beyond such petty nit-picking, TT leaves a distinctly positive impression as a comprehensive comedic tour de force, nicely containing all the genre's time-honored essentials and rejuvenating qualities.
Rating * * * 1/2
Luckily, Three Fugitives director Francis Veber supervised a candid project rekindling interest in Franco comedy of the old school, uplifting variety. Brief and efficient, the movie succeeds in creating distinct characters while doing away with extra baggage and needless posturing. It also balances elegant slapstick with witty verbiage, often producing hilarious situations by way of brilliant composition standing firm on foundations of truly humorous prose. Gerard Depardieu comes in as Quentin, a kindly career thief and full time doofus with a knack for ceaseless mouthing off and mental wanderlust. His hapless misadventures land him in prison time and again, but since none of the inmates can withstand his wide-eyed pestering, authorities soon resort to pairing him with Ruby (Jean Reno), a hardened assassin bent on whacking his former boss, Vogel. The latter made the mistake of putting Ruby's femme six feet under, and now must face the stolid operator's wrath. With Quentin trailing him and unilaterally deciding the two should become close friends and business partners, Ruby's plans need to bring into account a whole mess of accidental hijinx stemming from the surprisingly youthful Depardieu's bumbling naivete and grossly imaginative daydreaming. Of course, the old adage about two opposites working well together soon rings true, with the duo deftly outpacing both police and mob overlord. All this transpires amid a series of situations likely to put a smile even on vehemently stern faces. Not as reliant on one-liners as many other comedies, Tais Toi pools its resources from springs of clever dialogue and genuinely outlandish protagonists, such as superb actor Jean-Pierre Malo's supposedly menacing Vogel, whose sinister agenda falls prey either to the two runaway heroes' cunning pranks, or his own posse of incompetent henchmen.
Dialing in at under 90 minutes, Tais Toi's remarkably solid content gets the job done in a host of ways save for the obvious, and for that wins extra credit as a real, Paris-flavored caper of the type we thought ended when disastrous atrocities like Dumb and Dumber became the norm.
Additionally, after so many years of seeing him execute Hollywood's typecasting notions in various projects such as Leon, Godzilla, Rollerball and, for shame, Mission: Impossible, witnessing Reno in native mode does warm the heart and hone the old senses. We even picked up some French slang thanks to him, although why Parissiennes refer to cops as Le Flick remains a mystery. The only niggle some point one may call attention to has to be the movie's rather annoying product placement, with one short scene taking place at a UGC cineplex somewhere in Paris. Eagle-eyed members of the audience will note that UGC also produced Tais Toi, making their logo's prominence more than merely suspect. But beyond such petty nit-picking, TT leaves a distinctly positive impression as a comprehensive comedic tour de force, nicely containing all the genre's time-honored essentials and rejuvenating qualities.
Rating * * * 1/2
Depardieu (dumb) CUT TO Depardieu (dumbest) CUT TO...
vostf27 October 2003
Veber is not renown for his outstanding directorial skills. In fact nobody cares as long as they got the laughs, quite a few here to be honest, scattered in the whole process, thanks to Depardieu's half-wit characterization and the dialogue Veber puts in his mouth.
But this is not enough to make a great comedy since there's no movie outside of the usual Veber premise: a tough guy is doomed to team up with a very naive character. In L'Emmerdeur, La Chèvre or Les Compères there was a real story going on over the fire vs. water proceedings. Le Diner de cons, although it was a play, managed to create a real suspense about the next catastrophe Pinon would cause. In Tais-toi the backstory about the vengeance is both redundant and too weak to arouse our interest. Plus the heavies are lame both on screen and in the script.
Now what's wrong? Veber wraps this up creating no action, no rhythm. Instead he uses systematically and overuses ellipses (maybe he met William Goldman in Hollywood) and the 'music' really stresses that lack of nerve and a backbone in the story.
So you'll have to be content with Depardieu's performance.
But this is not enough to make a great comedy since there's no movie outside of the usual Veber premise: a tough guy is doomed to team up with a very naive character. In L'Emmerdeur, La Chèvre or Les Compères there was a real story going on over the fire vs. water proceedings. Le Diner de cons, although it was a play, managed to create a real suspense about the next catastrophe Pinon would cause. In Tais-toi the backstory about the vengeance is both redundant and too weak to arouse our interest. Plus the heavies are lame both on screen and in the script.
Now what's wrong? Veber wraps this up creating no action, no rhythm. Instead he uses systematically and overuses ellipses (maybe he met William Goldman in Hollywood) and the 'music' really stresses that lack of nerve and a backbone in the story.
So you'll have to be content with Depardieu's performance.
Tais pour Two
writers_reign25 December 2003
Great to see that Francis Veber, the natural heir to Billy Wilder, is still alive and well and turning out crowd-pleasers like this. Truffaut will be turning in his grave - I hope - to know that fifty years on from his vitriol-fuelled attack, 'a certain tendency ...' on PROFESSIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP, filmmakers, and FRENCH filmmakers at that, have not abandoned, as he urged, strong stories, sound directing, and star performances. Here we have a Depardieu a good 30 pounds lighter than of yore and looking younger with it, playing the village idiot to a fare-thee-well against Jean Reno's strong silent type. Compared to Depardieu, who never stops talking (tais-toi translates literally to 'shut up') Reno's words are as carefully measured as tea-bags in Tel Aviv. Only see this movie if you're into verbal wit laced with sight gags and thick-ear confrontations involving a three-way split between Depardieu/Reno, the flics and a team of semi-hard men. Not quite Veber's best but still a respectable 8/10.
Shut Up!
random_avenger31 July 2010
An inept but constantly talking small-time thief Quentin (Gérard Depardieu) is sent to prison after a botched bank robbery. There he shares a cell with a hardened gangster Ruby (Jean Reno) who refuses to say a word until getting out. Believing Ruby to be his new best friend, Quentin helps him to escape and tags along with him, much to Ruby's annoyance. Many crazy incidents follow, as the escapees are chased not only by the police but also by Ruby's former colleagues, led by a crime lord named Vogel (Jean-Pierre Malo).
The appeal of the movie is largely built on the charisma of the two stars and many buddy movie conventions. Quentin and Ruby's initially one-sided friendship advances exactly as expected, so originality is not among this movie's achievements but who cares as long as it's funny, right? Luckily the dialogue is fairly amusing and some of the situations earn a chuckle or two, like the Ruby-lookalike horse and the cops' habit of losing their patrol cars. Perhaps the movie could have benefited from being more over the top especially during the chase scenes, as now the crime and drama aspects of the story are not very well developed (e.g. Ruby's financial schemes against his former boss and his love for a deceased woman). Adding more jokes or other entertaining scenes could have helped to make the movie more memorable, even though it is funny now, too.
In any case, Depardieu and Reno have good on-screen chemistry together and make the movie very watchable for any fan of buddy comedies. Tais-toi may not be the comedy gem of the century, but it's a fun little movie all the same.
The appeal of the movie is largely built on the charisma of the two stars and many buddy movie conventions. Quentin and Ruby's initially one-sided friendship advances exactly as expected, so originality is not among this movie's achievements but who cares as long as it's funny, right? Luckily the dialogue is fairly amusing and some of the situations earn a chuckle or two, like the Ruby-lookalike horse and the cops' habit of losing their patrol cars. Perhaps the movie could have benefited from being more over the top especially during the chase scenes, as now the crime and drama aspects of the story are not very well developed (e.g. Ruby's financial schemes against his former boss and his love for a deceased woman). Adding more jokes or other entertaining scenes could have helped to make the movie more memorable, even though it is funny now, too.
In any case, Depardieu and Reno have good on-screen chemistry together and make the movie very watchable for any fan of buddy comedies. Tais-toi may not be the comedy gem of the century, but it's a fun little movie all the same.
Ruby & Quentin is a typical French crime comedy
eva3si0n19 August 2021
Another Good Veber Movie
DegustateurDeChocolat5 February 2013
Another good movie by the French director and screen player Francis Veber, along with The Dinner Game for instance. The plot is well developed and with good pace, including both scenes of the couple Ruby and Quentin running away from the husband of Ruby's lover, who wants him dead. The characters are nicely interpreted as well, especially Quentin, a stupid and ball-busting burglar perfectly played by Gerard Depardieu. I enjoyed the many funny scenes like the various ones in which Quentin disturbs his prison inmates making them lose their temper and ending up with Quentin sending them to the infirmary. Another good one is when the couple change in women's clothes not to be recognized by their chasers.
Really funny comedy
aylons-17 April 2006
I can't remind a movie making me laugh that much. In fact, I can't remind laughing that much at all.
Although I can speak a little French, I'm not fluent at all, yet I could laugh all the time: the role play is great and the plot is wonderful.
Don't care about the crime, almost action, background of the movie, and watch it with you children: it's really only a background used for creating gags, there's no violence and the only shot scene is not that explicit.
The bottom line is: watch this movie, no matter if you can speak French or not. It's a real world wide comedy.
Although I can speak a little French, I'm not fluent at all, yet I could laugh all the time: the role play is great and the plot is wonderful.
Don't care about the crime, almost action, background of the movie, and watch it with you children: it's really only a background used for creating gags, there's no violence and the only shot scene is not that explicit.
The bottom line is: watch this movie, no matter if you can speak French or not. It's a real world wide comedy.
Hilarious - Loved it
juzer0330 April 2020
I don't watch french movies i came across the trailer and it got my attention. I loved it. What an amazing, funny movie. The characters are spot on. I love this movie. The story is good. It is not predictable. Just one of those movies that will make you laugh out really loud.
Reno as the man-who-doesn't-talk and Depardieu as the-man-who-can't-stop-talking...
ElMaruecan828 January 2016
Some people are like sticking plasters, just when you think you finally got rid of them, they strike back. And they can't stop talking, oblivious to the fact that it takes two people to make a discussion. Ultimately, you just want to grab them on both sides of the face and yell "Shut up!" Francis Veber couldn't find a better title for his crime-comedy, and a better actor than Gérard Depardieu to play Quentin, the quintessential pain-in-the-neck.
With that film, Veber comes full circle as his first writing credit, was the classic "L'Emmerdeur" (literally, the pain-in-the-neck) another buddy-movie reuniting a hardened no-nonsense gangster played by Lino Ventura, and Belgian singer Jacques Brel, portraying a suicidal loser. Veber never really abandoned that formula which revealed itself an astonishing source of fun and original comedies, notably the 80's trilogy with goofy-looking Pierre Richard and younger and tough-looking Gérard Depardieu, and his greatest success "The Dinner of Schmucks".
Yet, in "Shut up!", roles are reversed, Depardieu is the schmuck, a more straight-forward one, and as the tough guy, the only actor who could look more intimidating than Depardieu, Jean Reno, in a sort of Leon-like character, but with the brain. Still, the premise didn't really attract me at first, I thought it would be a reboot of the usual formula, but Veber proved that he was like a cook capable of making different dishes from the same ingredients. And the first surprise is that Depardieu doesn't have the usual loser's name: François Perrin or Pignon, he's Quentin, from Montargis.
The fact that he introduces himself by adding "from Montargis" is not hazardous, and already gives a hint of how subtly hilarious the character is. For one thing, who the hell cares? But we do care, and there's a neat pay-off for that little detail near the end. And if not, in the same vein than "Bond. James Bond" or "Forrest, Forrest Gump", the mark of a great character sometimes lies in the way he introduces himself. And when you look at this lovable big guy, with his smile and that hair cut as he put his finger in a power plant, you wonder how he ended up being a criminal.
First, Quentin isn't cut for robbing banks as he gets them mixed up with exchange offices, and when he hides in a cinema, he simply sits and enjoys "Ice Age" and keeps watching the screen while the cops arrest him. In jail, it's only a matter of minutes before he drives his cell mates crazy. But the trick of comedy is to surprise you. And Veber, a master of economy and hilarious ellipses, knows that. At the end, the cell mates are on stretchers, so we know all we need to know about Quentin, he's cheerful, dim-witted and extraordinarily strong. But he's not mad.
The psychiatrist is positive: Quentin is just stupid. The warden almost begs him to keep him in the asylum, but the doctor replies "I run a mad house, not a stupid house" and adds "imagine the size of the building if " And you can tell that André Dussolier is really trying to keep a straight face, while delivering this hilarious line, and I'm pretty sure the wasn't the only one in this film. There are two long minutes where Depardieu put in the cell of Ruby (Reno's character), just talks and talks. Reno doesn't blink an eye. He makes a horse sound no snap. If Depardieu's performance is extraordinary, Reno deserves a mention if only for having kept this 'straight' face, so to speak.
The set-up to Ruby's incarceration is another masterstroke of economical and efficient storytelling. Ruby works for Vogel (Jean-Pierre Malo as a nasty-looking mob boss) and has an affair with his protégée. The girl is killed. Vogel's men attack an armored car. The surviving ones take the money but then Ruby neutralizes them. After an abrupt ellipse where Ruby is suddenly in cell, the Chief of Police (Richard Berry) confront him and we all get the picture To avenge the girl, Ruby stole Vogel's money. Vogel needs to know where he hid the loot, and so do the cops. And Ruby wants Vogel's head.
It all comes down to Ruby refusing to talk. The Chief calls the bluff and knows Ruby is onto something, so he comes up with a great idea, how about putting the man who never talks with the man who always talks. And this is where I have a little fondness on the English title, "Ruby and Quentin" because the film is less about Quentin's annoyances than the touching duo he forms with Ruby. Surely, we don't want Quentin to "shut up!" because he embarks to one a hell of a ride, starting with an escape you won't see coming (honorable mention to Ticky Holgado in one of his last roles).
Then the cat-and-mouse chase includes so many switches of cars (including Police cars), so many changes of clothes, (one of them involves the visit to a jockey's house, but I won't spoil the punch line to you) and so many knock-outs that you'll easily lose track at the end. It's spell- binding comedy at its best, with Veber's well-oiled screen writing and the inevitable human touch, without which, everything would be a series of predictable gimmicks.
Ruby never gets over-the-top or hysterical he tries to understand Quentin's behavior as if a man that dumb couldn't be for real, there had to be a reason. Well, Quentin had a good reason, he wanted to be Ruby's friend and together, they would have opened a café, named "The Two Friends". You know the only way to end the film is when Ruby will stop finding this ludicrous.
And the film finds the perfect note to end with, a shot that says everything. Most of all that Quentin wasn't a loser. If one thing, he won our hearts.
With that film, Veber comes full circle as his first writing credit, was the classic "L'Emmerdeur" (literally, the pain-in-the-neck) another buddy-movie reuniting a hardened no-nonsense gangster played by Lino Ventura, and Belgian singer Jacques Brel, portraying a suicidal loser. Veber never really abandoned that formula which revealed itself an astonishing source of fun and original comedies, notably the 80's trilogy with goofy-looking Pierre Richard and younger and tough-looking Gérard Depardieu, and his greatest success "The Dinner of Schmucks".
Yet, in "Shut up!", roles are reversed, Depardieu is the schmuck, a more straight-forward one, and as the tough guy, the only actor who could look more intimidating than Depardieu, Jean Reno, in a sort of Leon-like character, but with the brain. Still, the premise didn't really attract me at first, I thought it would be a reboot of the usual formula, but Veber proved that he was like a cook capable of making different dishes from the same ingredients. And the first surprise is that Depardieu doesn't have the usual loser's name: François Perrin or Pignon, he's Quentin, from Montargis.
The fact that he introduces himself by adding "from Montargis" is not hazardous, and already gives a hint of how subtly hilarious the character is. For one thing, who the hell cares? But we do care, and there's a neat pay-off for that little detail near the end. And if not, in the same vein than "Bond. James Bond" or "Forrest, Forrest Gump", the mark of a great character sometimes lies in the way he introduces himself. And when you look at this lovable big guy, with his smile and that hair cut as he put his finger in a power plant, you wonder how he ended up being a criminal.
First, Quentin isn't cut for robbing banks as he gets them mixed up with exchange offices, and when he hides in a cinema, he simply sits and enjoys "Ice Age" and keeps watching the screen while the cops arrest him. In jail, it's only a matter of minutes before he drives his cell mates crazy. But the trick of comedy is to surprise you. And Veber, a master of economy and hilarious ellipses, knows that. At the end, the cell mates are on stretchers, so we know all we need to know about Quentin, he's cheerful, dim-witted and extraordinarily strong. But he's not mad.
The psychiatrist is positive: Quentin is just stupid. The warden almost begs him to keep him in the asylum, but the doctor replies "I run a mad house, not a stupid house" and adds "imagine the size of the building if " And you can tell that André Dussolier is really trying to keep a straight face, while delivering this hilarious line, and I'm pretty sure the wasn't the only one in this film. There are two long minutes where Depardieu put in the cell of Ruby (Reno's character), just talks and talks. Reno doesn't blink an eye. He makes a horse sound no snap. If Depardieu's performance is extraordinary, Reno deserves a mention if only for having kept this 'straight' face, so to speak.
The set-up to Ruby's incarceration is another masterstroke of economical and efficient storytelling. Ruby works for Vogel (Jean-Pierre Malo as a nasty-looking mob boss) and has an affair with his protégée. The girl is killed. Vogel's men attack an armored car. The surviving ones take the money but then Ruby neutralizes them. After an abrupt ellipse where Ruby is suddenly in cell, the Chief of Police (Richard Berry) confront him and we all get the picture To avenge the girl, Ruby stole Vogel's money. Vogel needs to know where he hid the loot, and so do the cops. And Ruby wants Vogel's head.
It all comes down to Ruby refusing to talk. The Chief calls the bluff and knows Ruby is onto something, so he comes up with a great idea, how about putting the man who never talks with the man who always talks. And this is where I have a little fondness on the English title, "Ruby and Quentin" because the film is less about Quentin's annoyances than the touching duo he forms with Ruby. Surely, we don't want Quentin to "shut up!" because he embarks to one a hell of a ride, starting with an escape you won't see coming (honorable mention to Ticky Holgado in one of his last roles).
Then the cat-and-mouse chase includes so many switches of cars (including Police cars), so many changes of clothes, (one of them involves the visit to a jockey's house, but I won't spoil the punch line to you) and so many knock-outs that you'll easily lose track at the end. It's spell- binding comedy at its best, with Veber's well-oiled screen writing and the inevitable human touch, without which, everything would be a series of predictable gimmicks.
Ruby never gets over-the-top or hysterical he tries to understand Quentin's behavior as if a man that dumb couldn't be for real, there had to be a reason. Well, Quentin had a good reason, he wanted to be Ruby's friend and together, they would have opened a café, named "The Two Friends". You know the only way to end the film is when Ruby will stop finding this ludicrous.
And the film finds the perfect note to end with, a shot that says everything. Most of all that Quentin wasn't a loser. If one thing, he won our hearts.
A great family movie
olcayozfirat27 May 2022
2003 comedy movie. Two very great actors, Jean Reno and Gèrard Depardieu, are starring. The movie is really funny. A fool and a crime machine cross paths in prison. I can't understand how an hour and a half passed. Even the movie ends a bit incomplete. If it continues for 1 more hour, it will be watched. I think the French are really good at comedy. The movie is easy to watch with the family.
Professional criminal and daft, bumbling thief are paired together in prison.
LindsayJulia3 March 2007
I saw this at the Seattle Film Festival during a press screening and enjoyed it so much that I took my husband to see the film again during the festival at Cinerama. The film is infectiously funny, and it's a good thing it was subtitled, because people were laughing so hard that the dialogue was often drowned out. It is such a broad, slapstick comedy that it isn't surprising that crotchety reviewers weren't especially enthusiastic, but it is a great shame that the film hasn't been distributed in the US. The audience response was overwhelmingly positive. Were it released on DVD, I would buy a copy and put it on whenever I needed a lift. You can't go wrong with Jean Reno and Gerard Depardieu paired together in a movie directed by Francis Verber.
Francis Veber, a guarantee for a funny movie.
deloudelouvain5 February 2021
Gérard Depardieu & Jean Reno together, it's a winning combination. In a comedy it's just a perfect match, certainly when you know Francis Veber wrote and directed the movie. Francis Veber has nothing to prove anymore when it comes to comedies. With his trilogy of Le Grand Blond, L'emmerdeur, La cage aux folles, La chèvre, Les fugitifs, Le dîner de cons and so many more funny movies he is a name for a guaranteed good comedy. All those movies are just classics of the French cinema, especially in the comedie genre. In Tais-Toi (or Ruby & Quentin for the English title) we get another story about a duo on the run, a bit like Les Fugitifs from 1986, with also Gerard Depardieu associated with Pierre Richard for that movie. It's just an entertaining story, with funny characters. Francis Veber likes to play with characters that are annoying and/or dumb, it's one of the recurrent things in his movies, and it works all the time so why would he change this formula? If you don't like any of those movies mentioned above then you won't like this one either, but if you do like the other movies then you won't be disappointed by Tais-Toi!
Horrible, pathetic, empty shell of a movie
dahita-545858 February 2021
I am a big Depardieu/Reno fan. I watched this movie based on the IMDB rating, even though usually, I know better. What a disappointment! The story is very basic, the direction of the movie is atrocious, the jokes.... are they supposed to be jokes?! Nothing like the classics from the eighties like Operation Corned-Beef or Les comperes. Depardieu's role does not fit him well either, and the result is a failed duo navigating randomly in a movie that makes very little sense. Your time will be better spend listening to your hair grow.
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