What a delightful French comedy. I agree with those reviewers who complemented the producers on the excellent job with the English subtitles. I'm sure that we miss some of the nuances in the spoken dialogs; but I found much humor in the subtitles as done. I don't have sufficient knowledge left from university-learned French and short trips to the Riviera when stationed in the military decades ago to be able to follow the normal dialog in a film. So, having the subtitles sold the movie to me. This is a very good story about people, stereotypes and how our misconceptions can be so wrong and hurt one's understanding of different cultures – even in regions within one's own country. We Americans especially should realize that cultural differences exist between regions of all of the larger European countries – especially France, Germany, Italy and Spain. So, besides the comedy, I found the exploration of this theme very interesting for France. The scenes of the towns, countryside and coast in the far north of France were interesting. It was in this area – from Lille to the English Channel 40 miles (64 km) away, that the major French and British forces were surrounded by superior German units in May 1940. That ended with the Battle of Dunkirk and heroic rescue of 330,000 troops across the channel to England. Of course, Calais is also not far from there, and that's where the German's had concentrated their strength to defend against an Allied invasion from across the English Channel. The land sailing scene was very interesting with Phillipe (played very well by Kad Merad) and Antoine (played very well by Dany Boon). That beach scene must have been shot somewhere close to Dunkirk or Calais.In America, it's common for people to travel across country, East to West, North to South, and all directions in between. So, it may seem odd that people of southern France should have such a misconception about the climate and weather in the northern part of their country. The movie dispels all of that for the audience. The scenes in the early part of the movie are hilarious. Philippe and his family dread the severe cold he will have to endure, and his son Raphael worried that his day may lose his toes. At first I thought this was intentional exaggeration for the humor, but when Phillipe's wife Julie (played very well by Zoe Felix) buys him a heavy padded winter coat, I wondered if many people in the south of France didn't take such things for real. So, out of curiosity I did some climate comparisons between Aix-en- Provence and Lille, France. The horizontal distance between the two communities is about 500 miles (800 km). The latitude difference is about 7 degrees from about 30.5 to 43.5 North. The average high and low temperatures for the month of July at Provence are 84 and 64 degrees F. For the same month, the average high and low at Lille is 75 and 57 F. The spread is very close – 20 degrees difference at Provence and 18 degrees different at Lille. But what is most interesting is the difference between the two locales for high and low. Provence averages 7 to 9 degree F warmer during July than Lille. But there is even much less difference during the winter. The average high and low for January at Provence are 52 and 36 F. They are 45 and 36 F at Lille. The difference between the high temperatures for January at Provence and Lille is only 7 degrees F. And there is no difference between the average low for the two locales. Both places average 36 F for the low during January. So, if the people in Lille would lose their toes to the cold, so would the people of Provence. The disparity from high to low in January is greater at Provence – 16 degrees F. For Lille, the disparity is only 9 degrees F. The annual disparity from lowest to highest average is greatest for Provence. The average difference is 48 degrees F. That for Lille is just 39 degrees F. I didn't check precipitation or sunlight, but on the basis of temperature swings alone, Lille in the North has a more moderate climate than does Provence in the South. This is based on data taken off the Internet on January 19, 2015. I looked for some comparisons in the U.S., but most with exact distances (about 500 miles or 800 kilometers), had major geographic or climate differences that gave far different results. For instance, New Orleans to St. Louis is about 600 horizontal miles (960 km) with a latitude difference of about 70 – the same as between Provence and Lillie, France. But the average high temperatures for July are the same for New Orleans and St. Louis – 90 degrees F. The average lows for July are 76 and 71 degrees F, respectively. The winter temperatures vary the most. The average January high at New Orleans is 62 and at St. Louis it's 38. That's a disparity of 24 degrees F. The average low for January is even more – 47 at New Orleans and 21 at St. Louis. For a 26-degree F spread. So, it's much colder – and truly freezing in January to go from New Orleans to St. Louis in the U.S., than it is for French people to go from Provence to Lille. And remember, St. Louis is hardly in the North of the U.S. While France overall is at a more northern latitude than is the U.S., its climate and temperature ranges are more moderate from region to region. I just thought some French movie buffs might find that a little interesting. This is a good and most enjoyable film. I heartily recommend it.

"Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis" is a nice comedy, but to be honest it's kinda hard understanding how it managed to become such a huge hit, considering the basic plot has been done zillions of times already.Basically it's the good old "they sound different, they look different but in the end they're just like us!" chiché. Sure the misunderstanding between the main character and the townsfolk are funny, especially the conversation about the furniture, but then again it's not nearly enough to sustain the whole movie. The thing is: many of us have experienced some sort of culture shock, be it in the same country or abroad, but the movie just glosses over the two long years the main character had to spend among the Ch'tis... It's as if he had gone over the whole language/cultural issue in a matter of a month or so and from there onwards it was all fine and dandy... Besides the drunken delivery day, and the over-the-top "welcome to the horror" shenanigans to convince the wife Bergues was a disgusting place, there's no reason to actually "see" how well the main character and the Ch'tis bonded. It's all left to our imagination, or it's more or less a given... after all the Ch'tis are nice people so there's no need to actually prove it on-screen. We got the wholesome message, and it's OK, but what about giving us some actual reason to care more?It's a shame because the premise could have offered for more and less traditional developments. All in all a nice little comedy, but nothing overly new. This time around it was about Northern Frenchmen speaking a weird dialect/language, but it could have been about Hillbilies, Guidos, Texans, Northern Norwegians, Bavarians etc... Or Southern Italians, as in the even more stereotyped remake "Benvenuti al Sud"...

This movie is easily the best French film that has come out in the last years. It is an excellent comedy with the two great actors Dany Boon and Kad Merad but the movie has also its philosophical, dramatical and sad parts.This movie is extremely funny, it is really difficult to make me laugh but this film made me laugh really hard several times. The best examples are when the postman and his director are having some drinks with half of the town while they deliver the letters or the scenes in the old mining town of Bergues, This movie is extremely touching and emotional. When the excellent Kad Merad tells his new partners and friends about his lies and mistakes, you feel really sad and ashamed for him. The movie's finale is also very emotional and a perfect and really philosophical conclusion.But the real star of the movie is the whole region, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais, where this movie is settled. This film presents strange and funny accents of the Sticks, their historical and charming towns, their way of living and thinking, their relation to the other parts of France and the clichés and prejudices about both sides. The Nord-Pas-de-Calais is more than just a part of France, it is a country within a country and a culture within a culture. I have been in this region for some weeks during an exchange program and I can tell that those people living there are mostly open-minded, very sympathetic and have many reasons to be proud of their region. I really like this movie as it reminds me of a few very positive and unforgettable memories. And I like the movie because it is different and finally a French film that doesn't present us Paris over and over again. The France is way more than just Paris and there are many beautiful and unique regions and people to discover and this successful and charming movie shows this to all the people out there.For everyone that is interested in a touching, emotional and simply profound comedy movie or anyone that likes foreign cultures and lifestyles, this unique movie is an absolute masterpiece. I hope that other French regions will follow this example and make similar movies in the future and take the focus off Paris a little bit.

OK, this isn't a masterpiece but sure is a pleasant surprise and reaches something rare: it entertains the spectator during it's entire content.There are movies that sometimes loose their balance and consequently bore the viewer making it become then a flop. However this piece of french film-making, that is to the date the most viewed movie in France, maintains a positive balance that comfortably puts a big smile on the face of those who watch it.A Portuguese critic said that this is commercial cinema, sure, but the best of it. Good performances, funny plot filled with hilarious passages and a confident directing make this a must see french 'feel-good' gem that achieves the mission of making the client happy - 7/10.