Two men (a cashier and an accountant) are asked by a superior to fetch a great sum of money, in cash. Things go awry upon discovering that they forgot to bring some kind of bag or suitcase. Now they're walking around, in broad daylight, while carrying a great heap of cash stuffed in a hastily prepared package. What will become of them ? What will become of the money ?
"La bourse et la vie" is an enjoyable comedy with a number of original ideas and clever plot twists. It starts slowly, but improves as it goes along. Much of the fun consists of the increasingly complicated attempts of three people - the cashier, the accountant and the superior - to rendez-vous in time, preferably with all the money present and intact. The movie boasts some funny characters, such as a benevolent trucker-turned-priest who turns out to be the driver from hell. There's also a slowly simmering nutcase who really, truly dislikes being ordered around. (Darry Cowl, in stellar form, seems to be heading slowly but surely for one of these "disgruntled employee goes postal" headlines.)
Of course the premise does not bear close examination. Is it really plausible that two intelligent adults would forget to bring along a bag or a suitcase ? And what's wrong with that bank, don't they believe in customer service ? In real life, most banks would be glad to provide a suitable container ; more, they might even provide adequate transport complete with safety measures or security guards.
"La bourse et la vie" features a female director-general who runs her enterprise with a heavy though not entirely successful hand. The sight of this solid, domineering, cigar-chomping figure is clearly intended to evoke giggles. Whooo, a female director-general ! What are they going to think up next ? A female president of the Republic ? Male nurses ? Thankfully things seem to have evolved somewhat since the 1960's...
"La bourse et la vie" is an enjoyable comedy with a number of original ideas and clever plot twists. It starts slowly, but improves as it goes along. Much of the fun consists of the increasingly complicated attempts of three people - the cashier, the accountant and the superior - to rendez-vous in time, preferably with all the money present and intact. The movie boasts some funny characters, such as a benevolent trucker-turned-priest who turns out to be the driver from hell. There's also a slowly simmering nutcase who really, truly dislikes being ordered around. (Darry Cowl, in stellar form, seems to be heading slowly but surely for one of these "disgruntled employee goes postal" headlines.)
Of course the premise does not bear close examination. Is it really plausible that two intelligent adults would forget to bring along a bag or a suitcase ? And what's wrong with that bank, don't they believe in customer service ? In real life, most banks would be glad to provide a suitable container ; more, they might even provide adequate transport complete with safety measures or security guards.
"La bourse et la vie" features a female director-general who runs her enterprise with a heavy though not entirely successful hand. The sight of this solid, domineering, cigar-chomping figure is clearly intended to evoke giggles. Whooo, a female director-general ! What are they going to think up next ? A female president of the Republic ? Male nurses ? Thankfully things seem to have evolved somewhat since the 1960's...
