Nix to Arrest - DVD

Film: Ever since their childhood together in an orphanage, Kim Houang (Clovis Cornillac) and Michel Boudriau (Kad Merad) have been inseparable. So it goes without saying that even in their job with the French police, they only act as a duo. Even when Michel is offered a promotion, he turns it down because otherwise he would be separated from Kim. But the fact that his longtime friend and partner isn't the brightest of lights and that they cause more chaos as a duo than providing security is something Michel, who isn't always really smart either, just doesn't want to see. When the two cops are asked to help solve several bombings that rock France, they see their big chance has come to finally prove how well they work together as a team. But soon their clumsiness and bruised egos ensure that if anything they make the whole thing worse, and that their long-standing friendship is also put to the test...

Nothing to Arrest is a somewhat over-the-top comedy in which the successful gags and the humorous missteps are roughly balanced. The extremely stingy behaviour of Kim, who tries to save money wherever he can, is amusing, as is his complete misjudgement of the female sex. And Michel's naive ingratiation with a gangster (Francois Damiens), who the passionate amateur screenwriter mistakes for a movie producer, is just delicious to watch. But unfortunately, such genuinely funny moments are followed by a lot of arguably over-the-top silliness or just flat gags that significantly weaken the overall impression.

The script, based on the TV series Le 17, actually offers quite a lot of comedic potential. One is often reminded of the Mark Wahlberg/Will Ferrell comedy The Somewhat Different Cops, which, after all, also struggled with a mixture of spot-on gags and pipe-drops. But director Eric Lavaine (Poltergay) is even less successful than his US colleague Adam McKay in compensating for the weaknesses of the script with particularly effective gags. Although there are always good laughs, but they remain mostly too bravura to let the audience completely forget the weaker moments.

Who likes French comedies of the slightly wackier kind, but will definitely get their money's worth. There are just enough funny ideas, which are not served on a very high humor level, but make a good mood in a very simple way. If you expect more and hope for charm in the Sh`tis style, you will probably be disappointed. But if you just want to see some slapstick humor, you can confidently go on patrol with these super cops.

Picture + Sound: Since only a data-reduced press sample was available for testing, no rating can be given here about the final picture and sound quality.

Extras: Also the bonus material could not be sighted on the press DVD. Announced are trailers and a making of.

Conclusion: Nothing to arrest is a little too overdone comedy, which has some very amusing gags, but unfortunately also quite a few Rohrkrepierer to offer. If you're looking for just plain slapstick without the charm that has made other comedies from France so successful, you'll be well served here. Who expects humor on the level of the Sh`tis, however, will be bitterly disappointed.

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp