Mandibles (2020): Fly IS the Ointment

Mandibles [orig. Mandibules] is a French buddy-film about two long-time friends both of whom live, unbeknownst to themselves, on the witless-dim spectrum. Manu and Jean-Gab (Gregoire Ludig and David Marsais) are sort of a cross between cinematic goofball duos Bill and Ted [Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)] and Lloyd and Harry [Dumb and Dumber (1994)]. Paraphrasing a catchline from the latter film, every day is a no-brainer for Manu and Jean-Gab.  

The story:  Manu is offered the opportunity to make a make “easy” money. All he has to do is pick up a suitcase from one guy, put it in his trunk and drive it over to another guy. Simple. Make €500. And ask no questions. Bien! Good deal.  Manu doesn’t mention that he has no car, but then that’s no problem for a guy like him. He’ll just steal one. Then he enlists his old buddy Jean-Gab to come along for the ride. That way they can split the money. Très intelligent, non? But while driving along in their ‘borrowed’ heap, they hear a mysterious buzzy sound coming from the rear; and when they go to investigate – mon dieu! There is a giant fly in the trunk! Now what? Ever the optimist, Jean-Gab comes up with a brilliant plan: why not train the fly to be their accomplice in crime?  Just teach it to fly in, grab some cash, jewelry, or whatever, and fly back. Une bonne idée, n’est-ce pas? 

Well, of course it gets a bit more complicated than that, and one thing leads amusingly to another. Not hilarious exactly, but rather cute. And in addition to the surprisingly un-menacing arthropod, there is a fair sprinkle of additional quirkiness thrown in. Including a young woman named Agnes (Adèle Exarchopoulos [Blue is the Warmest Colour]), who can only speak in a loud monotone; or her friend Cecile (India Hair – yes, that is her name) who mistakes Manu for an old high school boyfriend – despite obvious disparities in appearance and intellect. The real charmer though is the fly, whom Gab - having grown fond her – has named Dominique.

Mandibles premiered at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival.  It is the seventh feature written and directed by  Quentin Dupieux. All his pictures are comedies with what he describes as his unique signature, one that features “deformed realities, infinitely twisted human relationships, surrealist portraits of our society, [and] profound and childish fantasies.” These things are all present to some degree in Mandibles, albeit not as starkly as Dupieux would have us believe. Those more familiar with his work have suggested that this picture is his best, most mature work. He wrote it especially to showcase his two stars Ludig and Marsais. 

These two guys have appeared in a number comic movies together, as well as a popular French sketch comedy series called Palmashow. The duo’s timing is perfect, and they are obviously very comfortable playing off one another. Not being a French speaker, I can’t be sure, but in Mandibles, their French comes across with a sort of semi-stoner, dunce-like inflection. I suspect this is way funnier to a French-speaking audience, but even to me it had its appeal.  

I found this movie easygoing, entertaining and fun to watch, although rarely laugh-out-loud funny. Yet, while I much enjoyed the lead actors and the eccentricities of the story and characters, I was not fully taken by the work as a whole. Perhaps in a different frame of mind or seen with an appreciative crowd it would have been more of a laugher, I don’t know.  Some other reviewers are highly enthusiastic, and you might be, too.  A chacun son goût. 

78 minutes

Grade: B

Opens in select theaters on Friday July 23, including Landmark Theaters here in the Bay Area.  And also streaming (to rent or buy) on Amazon,  Direct TV,  Spectrum and other services.