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Movies.ie Critic Review
A MONSTER IN PARIS (France/G/89mins)
Directed by Bibo Bergeron. Starring the voices of Vanessa Paradis, M, Gad Elmaleh, Francois Cluzet, Ludivine Sagnier, Bruno Salamone, Julie Ferrier, Sebastian Desjours.
THE PLOT: It’s Paris, 1910, and delivery man Raoul (Elmaleh) is best friends with cinema projectionist - and would-be lady’s man - Emile (Desjours). Taking a ride through the Paris streets, the two end up at the greenhouse of a reclusive scientist, where, naturally, they trigger off a chemical reaction or two. And before you can say The Fly, For Kids!, there’s a giant flea on the loose. A giant flea who obviously doesn’t know his B-movie rules, opting out of a roaring rampage and instead to duet with nightclub singer Lucille (Paradis), the curvy apple of Raoul’s eye.
THE VERDICT: A movie that Woody Allen will no doubt want to take his young ‘uns to, this French production may be, well, French, and it may be in 3D, but it definitely has its charms. Part of the appeal is the quirky animation, part the fine voices Vanessa Paradis and Mathieu Chedid (aka M), and part the short and sweet running time. Director Bergeron may have directed the DreamWorks atrocities Shark Tale and The Road To El Dorado, and been a storyboard artist on Flushed Away, but let’s not hold all those crap films against him. Here, the Frenchman gets to fly solo, and in his hometown too. And he flies high. Still, it’s taken four years for this one to reach our shores. Not to be confused though with Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol’s superior A Cat In Paris (out on DVD), which is up for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. RATING: 3/5
Review by Paul Byrne