The Cabbage Soup (1981)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

When I first saw it a few years ago, I have been deeply moved by this movie. Now I don't find it so striking, but when I reconsider it its humanity still remains. The clue is to love the characters, and then you would look sympathetically even to the stupid farting recital. The two old friends are in fact so kind at heart, striving to remain merry and hopeful, though are gradually deprived of every gift of life (youth, wife, wealth, other friends etc)! The merit of this movie is to speak in a simple way about big, sad issues. "Comedy is acting optimistic" (Robin Williams). On the plus side, one should add the great performance of the two leading actors, the jolly "accent du Midi", a too short cameo by Claude Gensac, and first of all the bitter-sweet, child-like and almost unreal solution to the loneliness of the two old men. On the minus side, a bit of a hurry sometimes, and especially the total lack of skill and motivation from the actress playing Claude's wife, ruining an important and rather unbelievable character.The best De Funes film, quite different from the usual bulk.

This movie is the one I watched most often. It seems to be a bit foolish first, two old men farting all the time and an alien allured by that sound. But the acting is simply great and the humor quite intelligent. The German title of that movie is "Louis und seine ausserirdischen Kohlköpfe" meaning "Louis and his extraterrestrial heads of cabbage". The German version is missing some of the original scenes, e.g. one where Chérasse tries to hang himself. Unfortunately I'm lacking of speaking French, so I can't assess the original version.It is my favourite movie with Louis de Funès next to "L'Aile ou la cuisse". He seems to be born for such a role playing a grumpy old man.

"La soupe aux choux" is more than all things, the story of the sincere friendship between two old men. Besides and in spite of rough discussions between them, this friendship remains complete and always sincere. It's necessary to precise that these old men are not farmers, but peasants, one was a well-sinker, the other a maker of sabots. It's also a mistake to believe that peasants are some resistant to change; this kind of mentality comes from old age, and it's true for everybody.The beauty of that film comes before all from the greay quality of the actors and of their interpretation. And it's true not only for Louis de Funès, but also for Jean Carmet and Jacques Villeret. It's surely because of the quality of the direction of Jean Girauld, on the one hand and the dragging of the quality of play of that tremendous actor who was Louis de Funès on the other hand.I have seen that film about fifty times at least, and I feel the need to see it again about three to four times a year. Each time I like it and never find it vulgar, because it's necessary to be highter than the apparent vulgarity of certain scenes. Never forget that everyone can, at a time in his life do some scenes like these, and we should not feel ashamed to do that, it's all and completely human. It's precisely what the film is, very human, and it explains the attachment we have for it. Even if the film is a little budget one, it's one of the best of that great actor who was Louis de Funès.

This film is an adaptation from René Fallet's novel: "la soupe aux choux" that is a good novel. Two farmers who are fond of red wine and of cabbage soup are visited by an extra-terrestrial who apppreciate the soup. In exchange of soup, he comes back to life one of the farmers's wife who will quickly leave her elderly husband due to his age. Because they are aware that modern world doesn't fit them, the two farmers are leaving on another planet with their houses and their soup. When you watch this film, there is one thing that is very obvious: it was especially made for Louis De Funès (besides, he wrote the screenplay of the film with the director Jean Girault) and consequently the other actors have got only a decorative role; if you compare Jean Carmet and Jacques Villeret to De Funès, the two actors are very pale. Moreover, this film is often vulgar (De Funès and Carmet who make a stupid competition of farts after drinking a lot), and dumb too; the music that is made of synthesizers is completely incompatible with the story and sounds like Abba music. This vulgarity can even fade to racism to farmers. All around the farmers' houses, an enormous town was built and its inhabitants are laughing at them. The only positive points that you can put forward are Jacques Villeret who is very funny when he's shouting "glou glou glou" and even if De Funès hams it up, it's always nice to see him getting angry. At last if Fallet had seen the film, he would have feel betrayed and if this film is too crude for you, you can always read the novel.