Some Like It Rare, 2021.
Directed by Fabrice Eboué.
Starring Fabrice Eboué, Marina Foïs, Victor Meutelet, Lisa Do Cuoto Texeira, Jean-François Cayrey, Virginie Hocq, and Alexia Chadard.
SYNOPSIS:
A couple running a struggling butcher shop find unexpected success when they accidentally murder a vegan activist, and find a novel way to dispose of the body.
When done right, black comedies stand on a league of their own. One need only look at films like the Coen Bros’ Fargo or Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges to agree with that sentiment. So, where does this latest offering from France fall, in the grand cinematic pantheon of black comedies? Read on to find out.
The story follows Vincent (Fabrice Eboué) and Sophie (Marina Foïs), an unhappily married couple who are struggling to make ends meet with their unsuccessful butcher shop. Things, however, take a turn for the absolute worse when their property gets vandalized by a group of animal rights activists, who are clearly unhappy with the pair’s current line of work. Douchebag family friends who enjoy rubbing it in and their daughter’s new meat-free lifestyle only add fuel to the proverbial fire.
It’s a hard time for the duo but out of adversity an opportunity presents itself, in the form of a hapless vegan activist who gets run over by Vincent’s vehicle by accident. Out of options Vincent disposes of the dead body the only way he knows to as a butcher, but forgets to mention the grisly process to his wife. The next day we find Sophie had sold off that prime cut of (human) meat unwittingly to a customer. What the duo did not expect, was for praise to be showered on their new ‘product’ and the ever-growing demand that came with it.
Viewing Some Like It Rare brings to mind two black comedies with eerily similar premises; namely Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Delicatessen and Anders Thomas Jensen’s The Green Butchers. Both movies also happen to be superior films to Some Like It Rare, in every way possible. But that’s doesn’t mean I’m trying to dissuade you from watching this gruesomely hilarious affair, no sir. It’s just that, this film isn’t quite up there with the best of ‘em.
Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed what this film had to offer and partly why it works so well is because Some Like It Rare is a very self-aware movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. And kudos to the writers for taking that creative decision.
The excellent deadpan performances dished out by the leads also go a long way in selling the outlandish premise of this flick. Fabrice Eboué as the mild-mannered Vincent and Marina Foïs as the ever-determined Sophie, are totally believable as a regular couple, that have fallen out of love and into bankruptcy.
Eboué is pulling a triple-header here helming the pic, writing the script while also playing the lead of the feature, and he excels in all of the above admirably. Victor Meutelet is convincing enough as the sanctimonious Vincent, the vegan boyfriend of the couple’s daughter, but other minor characters populating the story come off as mere caricatures. Caricatures destined for a very grisly end.
Some Like It Rare is a simply structured but surprisingly effective black comedy, that will slay you with its dark humour and disturbing content. If that sounds like your particular brand of vodka, by all means, go for it.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Hasitha Fernando is a part-time medical practitioner and full-time cinephile. Follow him on Twitter via @DoctorCinephile for regular updates on the world of entertainment.
