Andres-Camara Me ha gustado de reírme con esta película. Me encanta como se ríe de todo lo políticamente correcto. Se mete en todos los charcos sin dejar uno sin tocar. No digamos que es la película del año, es una comedia para reírse un rato, pero es que te ríes.Los actores están muy bien. Seguro que lo pasaron de risa todo el rodaje.Como suele ocurrir, este tipo de películas, no tiene fotografía, es neutral. Está dirigida de manera correcta, para hacerte reír y que luego te olvides. Pero al menos lo consigue. No se esfuerza en poner la cámara. Solo ve la historia. Pero al menos es agradable y no te aburres.Ve la película y al menos te reirás un rato.

n-mo In a couple hundred years, history books on the twentieth century will doubtless remark with unwarranted amazement at the fact that, in Western countries, homosexual acts in went from criminal in the middle of the century to protected, lauded and even officially ordained by the end. I say "unwarranted" because sexual liberation had already been unleashed with the Marquis de Sade, and needed only the socially atomizing effects of high-speed transportation and communication to make its way into the consciousness of the general populace.No, in actuality, what is far more interesting about this whole affair is that the prejudice remains. The majority of people, even those living in "tolerant" societies, do not particularly want to know the intimate details of others' homosexual relationships, particularly children of their parents'.Even so, Le Placard actually expects us to believe that Daniel's son suddenly respects a father who's a lousy provider and a social dud because the latter now has a "cool" and "interesting" aspect. Hogwash! Any teenaged male would flip at his least "tolerant" or shrug and say, "My old man has plenty of other problems" at his most "tolerant." It is not that turning stereotypes around is never good or valid; it is that the homophobic teenaged male stereotype is in fact intimately grounded in reality, and the movie loses a lot of its plausibility by jettisoning it.All the same, Le Placard willingly succumbs to the most tired and predictable stereotypes whenever it suits the filmmakers' agenda. For example, the bumbling homophobic buffoon, suddenly forced to be nice to his supposedly queer colleague in order to avoid being read out for insensitivity, ends up questioning his own sexuality. (It is interesting that homosexual activists can think of no worse insult for homophobes than to insinuate that the latter are themselves closeted homosexuals. Are they admitting that the worst thing in the world is to be called a sexual pervert?) Then, of course, there is the gender-bending sexual harassment subplot, which forces Daniel to choose between integrity and practicality and rise to the occasion. In fact, he chooses practicality… and yet nothing happens. When everyone—including the woman Daniel loves—finds out he's been lying to them all along, he is not chastised, not punished. Life goes on much as it did, and any potentially bruised relationships are patched right up. But hey! So long as a film portrays "alternate life-styles" in a positive manner, honesty and integrity don't count.The film reaches into the past and shows us an older male who was fired for the same reason Daniel is getting to keep his job. On the surface this appears a cross-generational comparison of just how drastically and rapidly times have changed, an indictment of politically correct nonsense. In actuality, however, Le Placard contains absolutely nothing that would offend a modern bien pensant: the moral beacons of the movie are those who take the most warmly to the falsified news of Daniel's manly needs. The message is obviously that "we still have a long way to go," and in fact should continue on the path, so that homosexuality becomes universally accepted, there is no longer any "closet" to come out of… so that the wheels of commerce can continue as usual.No wonder Le Placard—an offering jam-packed with offensive subplots, incompetent actors and insipid jokes—could meet with such recognition: it is about as morally subversive, politically correct and commercially viable (due to its facilité) as a film can get, exactly the sort of stuff the studios jump to finance and to promote. Avoid.

mureshanaugustin Like many of you, I sometimes grow tired of the same type of jokes found in Hollywood comedies that rely mostly on pop culture references or force-inducted "awkward type" situations. Sure it's funny, but after two decades or so of the same comedic styles I should want something more for the wits. And then the French come to the rescue: I shall not ruin your surprise, but if you are a fan of comedies or at least a film buff that appreciates quality in directing and acting, you will absolutely adore The Closed. The biggest feat accomplished here is taking a subject trivial to some and almost perverse to others ( depending on the degree of one's "social stiffness" ) as the story of a condom factory employee, and making it extremely funny without resorting to low brow sexual or toilet humor. Upon watching this you will immediately remember of such classics as Louis de Funès's masterpieces or the 7eme Companie series. A straight-from-the-heart 9 from me, excellent! Also, give Tais Toi a try, it's a production in the same manner, with a great cast and also very original, it will not disappoint.

Lee Eisenberg So often, we think that French cinema likes to be purely artistic that it seems like they can't do comedy. Well, I've seen two French movies that made me nearly die laughing: "Les Visiteurs/The Visitors" and "Le Placard/The Closet". This one portrays a man (Daniel Auteuil) about to get fired, but he makes himself look gay so that it could come across as job discrimination. It leads to a series of unexpected consequences, natch.A lot of the movie seems like it's just an excuse to be silly. But watching the movie, one can definitely feel the European flavor: strong women, sexual humor coming in surprising places, and other such things. And of course, this flick affirms that Daniel Auteuil and Gerard Depardieu are two of the greatest actors of our time. Above all, I wish to assert that it's always great from time to time to see a movie not afraid to do anything it wants. Really funny.I swear, it seems like I've seen Gerard Depardieu in more English-speaking roles than French-speaking ones. Then again, I do live in the United States.