Cannes 2009 Day 5: Getting to First Base with Les Beaux Gosses

The film’s opening first scene announces that there will be buckets of saliva used, and perhaps other specimens as well. Raging with hormones, low grade humor and charisma, Riad Sattouf‘s Les Beaux Gosses (Beautiful Kids) is an instant crowd pleaser and should perform well in France, but I don’t think it will make its way in territories where French is not a mother tongue since every one has got a Napoleon Dynamite already. Obsessed with first base all the way till homeplate, this is the antithesis of Cannes’ big winner last year in The Class. Not that the kids in this film aren’t authentic, the pairs trio (two buddies and the femme fatale) are non actors who sort of have a natural appeal – but are inserted in a comedic land where the other characters feel like caricature inserts. Not a film that I would have programmed in the Director’s Fortnight section especially when compared to Acne, a much more complete film on the entire coming of age, making it to first base story concept.

Comic book artist turned director: Riad Sattouf

Film’s lead character: Vincent Lacoste

Film Trio: Vincent Lacoste, Anthony Sonigo, Alice Trémolières

The more talented of the three: Alice Trémolières