Official competition off to sassy start with Mathieu Amalric's 'On Tour'

Opening the official competition was "Tournée" (On Tour) by French filmmaker and actor Mathieu Amalric - a burlesque, fleshy and boozy offering. Here are a few reasons why the France24.com team likes it. And watch Amalric's interview (video).

By Eve JACKSON , FRANCE 24's culture editor in Cannes (video)
Jon FROSCH , special correspondent in Cannes (text)

The official Cannes competition opened on a note of mischief on Thursday with Mathieu Amalric's "Tournée" (On Tour) or the 'French burlesque movie', as it has been dubbed by English-speaking journalists at the festival. Though this is Amalric's first time at the official competition as director, the actor is so well regarded for his wild-eyed intensity and offbeat humour that expectations for the film were high. Indeed, by any reasonable standard, Tournée qualifies as a strong start for this year's line-up.

Amalric the filmmaker:

Mange ta soupe - Eat your soup (1997), Le Stade de Wimbledon - Wimbledon Stadium (2001) and La Chose publique - Public Affairs (2003, selected for the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes).

Amalric the actor:

Comment je me suis disputé...(ma vie sexuelle) - My Sex Life...or How I Got Into an Argument (director Arnaud Desplechin, 1997)

Rois et Reine - Kings and Queens (Best actor Cesar, director Arnaud Desplechin, 2005)

Le Scaphandre et le Papillon - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Best actor Cesar, director Julian Schnabel, 2008)

Quantum of Solace (director Marc Forster, 2008)

Telling the story of a washed-up French producer (played by Amalric himself) on tour in France with a troupe of American burlesque dancers, this witty, affectionate film starts out as a bawdy backstage chronicle and ends up posing some intriguing questions about art, freedom, and family. Though Amalric's character is the central figure, he shines the spotlight most brightly on the ladies. All are real American burlesque performers with names like Kitten on the Keys and Dirty Martini, and they turn out to be a cinematic goldmine: fleshy, boozy, and brimming with sass and soul.

The film gets mileage out of its culture clash premise (the girls churn out very broken French and transform even the stuffiest place they go into a rowdy performance art fete), but the director's nimble, spontaneous camera also catches unexpected moments of loneliness, flirtation, and hostility among the dancers, their not-so-fearless leader, and his two young sons who accompany the troupe in the film's second half.

If the film, as charming and sharply observational as it is, eventually starts to wear out its welcome, it is because of a certain lack of tension: Amalric clearly loves his characters, but his story is looser than it has to be, never making it entirely clear what's at stake for these outsiders trying to build a life around a marginalized art form. The final ten minutes feel indulgent, even unnecessary, like a bad after party following a highly enjoyable night out on the town.

Meeting up with Amalric's dancers, being interviewed on a Cannes beach on Wednesday afternoon. (Photo: J.Frosch and D.Segretain)

Same American dancers... late on Wednesday evening. (Photo: J.Frosch and D.Segretain)

On Thursday evening, THE place to be was the all-night bash for Mathieu Almaric’s movie “On Tour”. His curvy and hilarious cast, Mimi le Meaux, (centre), Evie Lovelle (left), and Dirty Martini (right) are the centre of attention. (Credit D.Segretain)

On a cabaret stage or a dance floor, the queens always keep on dancing! (Credit D.Segretain)

Compliments and congratulations fly at Almaric from all sides as he criss-crosses the floor. (Credit D.Segretain)

The New Burlesque cabaret isn’t exlusively female. Rocky Roulette dances in navy uniforms or sailor suits. He was an improvised DJ on Thursday night! (Credit D.Segretain)

The dark handsome man standing in the corner is none other than... Benicio del Toro. The Puerto-Rican super star and Cannes jury member spent the party discreetly in the sidelines. (Credit D.Segretain)