In short, this 90mn movie has 3 30mn parts :Part I shows the sad, difficult, unlucky life of this failed husband and worker. It's not very interesting as nothing really happens in this dreadful, gray city. It was like a very, very depressive « Brazil ».Part II shows indeed the change of life but it's still dull and not very funny as it's exactly Part I seen in negative or rather positive. So, no surprises as you can guess all that happens. It's all the more boring that this reversal seems unexplained.Then, the Part III comes as a surprise and it's only then than the movie is interesting and has Benoit waking up from apathy ! Suddenly, from this moment on, the movie turns into a philosophical journey about the meaning of life and the equilibrium between happiness and despair. I agree with the message that happiness can't be eternal but that a positive mind is useful. From my experience, it's when i start thinking « it's OK now : i'm happy » that problems arise. Then, it's a long tunnel against adversity to eventually reach back the happy level. A crisis is sometimes an hard medication as it was the only way to have new joys, better opportunities ! In conclusion, after an awful first hour, the last 30 minutes save the day but it's too late or too little to conclude i have enjoyed it.

As French comedies go, this must be a masterpiece.If you think DJAL has too much goofy stuff going on, then check out other - much more typical - French comedies and you'll realize that the gags here are reserved and subtle. For far too long French humour has been about big-nosed clowns slipping on banana-peels and bumping into walls while kids point at them and giggle. Admittedly, the main protagonist does have a big nose, but there is none of the obligatory, exaggerated buffoonery that was to be expected.The premise of a 180-degree reversal of fortune in the life of a perennial loser is a good one. However, the story meanders, gets lost in various dead-ends; it's as though the writers had no clue where to go with the idea after the first 10-15 minutes. (There is even an utterly awful music&dance piece.) So absurd does the plot get that the main character even starts despising his new-found luck, hating people who suddenly show respect for him, etc. He even refuses the renewed love and commitment he receives from his until-recently estranged wife (whom he loves)! Comedies can be bizarre, and are often even supposed to be that way. Nevertheless, even the most zany script has to have some basic element of truth/reality in order to be funny. I don't see any logic in someone fighting against his luck, and no amount of empty-headed fortune-cookie philosophizing/rationalizing can make me buy the idea that a former down-on-his luck delta male cannot and will not cope with his new life as a successful, happy alpha male.In spite of that, it's a fairly watchable comedy, with one outstanding scene that made me laugh for minutes: the 5-Euro offer involving the three Spanish businessmen. Pure Python.And just to set a minor error straight: Ivan Lendl did not win the 1984 French Open finale because "he finally started running" (as is claimed here), but because McEnroe simply ran out of steam...

I like the Merriam-Webster definition of disappointing: failing to meet expectations, a disappointing meal, for instance. We change our seats to see the new Jennifer Aniston's flick because the seats were to close to the screen and we choose a French comedy instead, expecting some French comedy time. The comedy was not present. The story is non existent and has a lack of imagination that surprises for a French director. The main character is disappointing, Benoît Poelvoorde tries to give some sense to the character and in some moments he manages to do that, but the storyline is dull. But Constance Dollé is showily brilliant, beautiful and sexy, She is the best of the whole story. Disappointing French comedy. Fatalist a little bit like Le Diable Probablement, but without the genius insight of Robert Bresson.

Gosh.. Just saw it this week-end. And this guy is teaching directing in the SO-CALLED best and most efficient cinema school in France (and Europe basically..) !I'm glad i missed the admission.'Happiness is heavy when you're not used to it' C'mon! 80 minutes of non-screenplay, non-directing, non-acting (I LOVE Poelvoorde but he can't do anything about the impoverished style of the the whole shebang)If you want a good laugh, 2 scenes are on the top of the most pathetic sequences of all time :The first one when his wife is meeting him (at the bank, in his office) and realizing that his future ex-husband is finally very attractive and perhaps deserve a new chance.. Slow motions and cheesy music - lousy violons sounds -The second one. The musical sequence.nuf said.Pauvre France.