Suddenly Young Again - Back to the 80s - Blu-ray

Film: Married family man Patrice (Kad Merad) is a successful artificial insemination specialist and best-selling author. His best friend Eric (Franck Dubosc), on the other hand, is a divorced womanizer who isn't exactly having great success with his sushi restaurant. But the fact that Patrice is also unhappy with his situation, since all he really does is argue with his wife and is extremely annoyed by his pubescent daughter, comes as a surprise to Eric. Patrice would much rather lead an unattached life, like his best friend does. After a damp and merry evening in the country house of Patrice's parents, the two men are actually offered an unexpected chance for a new start. For when they awaken, they find themselves in the bodies of their younger selves again in 1986 - the year they graduated from high school and just before the moment Patrice and his wife fell in love. After adjusting to the unusual situation, the friends embark on a project to start over. But is another life really what they want?

Suddenly Young Again - Back to the 80s really doesn't use any new ideas. Therefore this time jump comedy is not really surprising in any way - maybe apart from the fact that a cellar staircase serves as a time portal. Not as original as Delorian, but still kind of funny. But even if the wheel is not reinvented here and actually only familiar paths are followed, the whole thing works very well overall. Kad Merad and Franck Dubosc are a good duo, hitting their comedic stride with newfound youth combined with the experience of age. Particularly amusing is a scene where the friends look to capitalize on their knowledge of the future by selling ideas for hit films to a production company as their own. Kad Merad's parade role in the sht´is can't be missed, of course.

How the two must first find their way back to the 80s undoubtedly makes for the film's most amusing moments. From the moment Patrice and Eric decide to give their lives a new direction and virtually take over each other's futures, there are more quiet moments, but they don't always work. Some of these scenes seem more like filler material, which only moves the plot forward slowly and thus also leads to some lengths. The until then quite fast-paced plot is thus slowed down again and again, which of course comes at the expense of the entertainment value.

The humor is overall kept rather simple. Although the film pleasantly refrains from too flat Brachialhumor, but subversive wit you look in vain here. The potential that such a time travel comedy offers in itself is only marginally exploited. But since director Dominique Farrugia manages very well to wrap the story in endearingly ironic 80s charm, this shortcoming is more than bearable. Thus, Suddenly Young Again - Back to the 80s may not be the big hit, but the film offers entertaining entertainment at all times. If you like French comedy fare of the light kind and can do without profound demands for about 100 minutes, you're guaranteed a fun trip back to the 80s. And then also applies quite clearly a: worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The picture and sound quality of the Blu-ray is exactly what can be expected from a current production. The picture is absolutely clean, the gaudy 80s color scheme is coherent, and the contrasts are also on a good level. The sound, available as a DTS HD MA 5.1 mix, doesn't set off any major surround fireworks, as is usual for the comedy genre. But there is also always audible movement in the multichannel area, which can create a very positive overall impression. Good!

Extras: Bonus features include a very brief promo making of (approx. 3:07 mins), as well as the featurettes Repeat or Not (approx. 2:49 mins) and Right or Wrong (approx. 3:35 mins). On top of that, there's some uncommented B-roll footage (approx. 8:26 min.). It's not really in-depth or insightful. Worth watching, however, are the interviews with the two main actors (approx. 16:22 min.) and the director (approx. 7:02 min.).

Conclusion: Suddenly Young Again - Back to the 80s is an amusing time travel comedy, which can win the subject matter no new pages, but with a lot of 80s charm, a proper pinch of self-irony and some very nice scenes over a few lengths and clichés can console. The audio-visual realization of the Blu-ray is absolutely successful, the bonus material, however, is arg promolastig turned out. The interview with the main actors, however, is quite amusing and worth watching. If you like French comedies of the lighter kind, you can safely go on this journey through time. Recommended

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp