Comédie-Française Review – Hilarious, Laugh Out Loud Funny, A Must See
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Tuesday, 06 October 2026 13:19
- Written by Janet Walker
Comédie-Française, from Tull Stories, presents an entertaining dramatic comedy, as an eccentric troupe of thespian misfits, and a first time director manage a continuing wave of preshow calamities as they deal with exploding tensions and clashing egos.
The film begins as Nina Cardi, played by Pauline Clement, the director arrives at the Comédie-Française theater, and after exchanging pleasantries with the Pierre, the house security, played by Gilles David, she realizes she forgot her building pass. And as if she had been replaced by a stranger the Pierre explains no pass no entry. Suddenly she finds her pass, crisis averted.
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It is 6:00 PM and with a 9:00 PM curtain. Over the next three hours, the Comédie-Française presentation of MacBeth is in the final checks before the performance. This is when we meet the cast Philipe, played by Laurent Stocker, Emilie, played by Marina Hands, and Antoinne, played by Julien Frison, Suzanne, played by Adeline D'Hermy, and Nadin, played by Daniele Lebrun, and the usher, Issa, played by Sefa Yaboah, and Jacques, the stage manager, played Christian Hecq
Lady MacBeth, however, is missing. We find out as Comédie-Française administrator, Thibault, played by Serge Bagdassarian, calls Nina to the office and explains that the star of the show is unable to make the curtain. He also explains how important this performance is as the Minster of Cultural Affairs, played by Francoise Gillard, is attending and they want to cut their theater's subsidies. So, the show must go on.
Frantic Nina approaches her cast, hoping to shuffle them so that one of them can move into the role. By the end, it seems as if she is the only one who knows all the lines, so now two hours before curtain she is in wardrobe being fitted.
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With what only seems like a raging destroying inferno minutes ago, is now put out, and Nina is preparing for the dual role of director/actor. As the seamstress, Fabienne, played by Florence Viala, is working on the dress, she is, of course, offering her opinion on the role, and every actor's nightmare just three hours to prepare, and audience of nearly 1000 guests, with each word, Nina is becoming unnerved.
As the tension begins to come in waves, she is preparing for blocking and running her lines, and she begins with Antoinne, when she opens the door, she discovers he and Emilie, Philip's wife, are having an affair. When they ask her to work first with Philip, she reluctantly agrees. This is going well, until the smoke machine, which is supposed to release a fine mist, covers the actors with thick smoke which burns Philips eyes. He needs his dear wife to help him. The lovers barely escape, once again, from discovery.
As the clock slowly winds down, Nina's husband, Stephane, played by Guillaume Gallienne also an artist, is in the lobby and under interrogation by the security, and suddenly, Nina, who thought her childcare was handled, is left with her infant son. Suddenly, the stress breaks her and as all the actors, except Philipe, are on stage and she finally has the breakdown and tells them they are all eccentric artists, uncaring, and underprepared.
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Of course, by this twist of fate, Phillipe, who is in makeup, finds his beloved wife is involved with the younger actor. The revelation causes his heart rate to spike, the emergency responders are called, the audience is lining up outside the theater, and the production has just lost it MacBeth.
At this point Nina has a fantasy and Moliere, played by Benjamin Lavernhe, the founder of the Comédie-Française and walks her through the history of the theater and in this fantasy, he explains the truth of any performer, no one is confident, everyone doubts, and still everyone shows up, because we are a troupe, a company of rebels, talented, unconventional, nonconforming artists.
This ushers in the final, surprising, act.
An over-the-top, full-tilt, chaotic look behind the scenes at the opening nights final rehearsal, Comédie-Française, captures the attention from the beginning scenes and with comedic wit, humor, and absurdity, continues throughout.
The ensemble cast personify the unusual characters that comprise the theater actor and deliver authentic and genuine performances.
Since its triumphant release in French cinemas in July 2026, Comédie-Française has been a smash hit, logging an extraordinary 800,000 admissions. The critical praise has been equally resounding, with Télérama calling it "a delightful comedy with slick, clever direction," Le Point praised the film as "lively and funny," and Les Échos summing it up simply as "True French comedy" and "the comedy of the summer!"
Entertaining and amusing, Comédie-Française, opens in UK and Irish cinemas, October 9, 2026. A must-see!
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Country: France.
Language: French with English subtitles.
Runtime: 75 Minutes.
Directors: Bertrand Usclat, Martin Darondeau.
Producers: Mathieu Verhaeghe, Thomas Verhaeghe, Louise Nadal, Juliette Schrameck.
Writers: Pauline Clément, Clémence Dargent, Martin Darondeau.
Cast: Pauline Clément, Laurent Stocker, Julien Frison, Marina Hands, Adeline D'Hermy and Danièle Lebrun, Sefa Yaboah, Christian Hecq, Serge Bagdassarian, Sephora Pondi, Florence Viala, Guillaume Gallienne, Benjamin Lavernhe, Francoise Gillard, Nicolas Chupin, Elissa Alloula, Nicolas Lormeau, Gille David, Suliane Brahim, Denis Padalydes, Julie Sicard, Eric Ruf, Noe Griveau Nadal.
Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Under the banner of her production company, HL Productions, LLC, Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," and "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.
