JUST VISITING
Starring: Christina Applegate, Jean Reno, Tara Reid
Directed by: Jean-Marie Poire
Distributed by: Hollywood Pictures

Date: 4/1/01
By: The DogFather (Guest Writer)

    "Just Visiting," one of the most recent attempts by Hollywood to milk Europe, is a comedy that presents several great themes – comedy not being one of them.

Directed by "Jean-Marie Gaubert, and starring Christina Applegate, Jean Reno and Christian Clavier, "Just Visiting" follows a nobleman and his servant from the 12th Century who wind up in modern-day Chicago due to a wizard’s potion gone awry.

The original movie, "Les Visiteurs," was released in France in 1993, and soon became one of France’s most successful comedies. Reno and Clavier now reprise their roles under Gaubert, the original director, alongside an American cast. This time, the travelers face both time and cultural clashes.

Now THAT'S a beard.

"Here, [in America], it’s more fragile," Reno said at a round-table discussion. "Because [the character] doesn’t have things in the past [to relate to]."

"Just Visiting" follows Count Thibault of Malfete (Reno), a French knight-in-shining-armor, and his loyal servant André (Clavier). Thibault, a very honorable and valiant knight, will soon wed Rosalind (Applegate), an English princess with grace and charm.

But, a jealous Earl or Warwick schemes with a sorceress who concocts a hallucinogenic potion poured into Rosalind’s drink. The potion would make Thibault so ugly, she would have to kill him.

"Oh mon amie!"

The earl’s plan backfires as Thibault and Rosalind exchange cups. Instead, Thibault hallucinates and kills Rosalind. He quickly seeks a magician who would turn back time before the killing began. Instead, the magician accidentally sends both Thibault and André into modern-day Chicago.

There, the nobleman and his servant find Julia Malfete, the long descendent of Rosalind. Applegate also plays Julia. This is one of the driving ideas behind the resurrection of "Les Visiteurs."

"The idea was to have the ability to meet your descendents," Clavier said. "What would happen if you can meet your family 2,000 years ago, and they’re coming to dinner?"

Julia, nicknamed Bunny by her fiance Hunter (Matthew Ross), is in a controlled relationship where Hunter makes all of the decisions. He always gets his way, and he gets to be cheating on Julia with his secretary, Amber (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras).

"My place or yours later, sweetheart?"

At first, Thibault and André’s main purpose is finding a way home. But, as the movie progresses, André finds love with the gardener of Julia’s neighbor (Tara Reid) and freedom, and Julia finds herself, one of the greatest themes mentioned throughout the movie.

"[Julia is] in a relationship where someone is pushing her down." Applegate said. "And I think that her journey is sort of an enlightenment to know that your power and your strength doesn’t come from someone else."

The themes within the movie are the only redeeming factors in the movie. Not only are they good themes, though unoriginal, they are diverse themes.

"I think it works because it doesn’t have just one tone," Applegate said. There’s heart in it and a fairy tale."

"This puppy chow's rather tasty."

But, most importantly, this movie is a comedy – the portion of the movie that fails. It’s overuse of slapstick and juvenile pranks are not funny – just annoying.

"They’re acting like kids," Reno said. "They don’t have any rules."

This is a bad thing. The slapstick used is family-oriented, rendering it unfunny. The slapstick is "clean slapstick," as opposed to the slapstick used in other recent hits, such as "American Pie."

The constant peasant jokes, of which there are two within the first five minutes of the film, drag the movie lower than the depths of the underclass of which they are making fun.

Even the time-difference jokes do not work. What seems as if it should kill, does not, mainly because they are acting like kids.

"Alright, you use this white stuff to wipe your ass."

Reno and Clavier do excellent jobs all around. They play the fool well, but the scripting, which Clavier helped write, does not allow for a comedic fool.

Applegate does decent work as Julia, but has a horrible English accent as Rosalind, despite being coached by Barbara Berkery, who coached Gwyneth Paltrow in "Shakespeare in Love."

Ross portrays his villainous character well, teetering between the dark, abusive relationship and the comedic aspect.

Lastly, Reid’s lines do not come off real. She seems to be overly ditsy, and way too corny as André’s savior. Her lines are incredibly dry, since they are unoriginal – they have been done before. Her choice in scripts so far, ranging from "American Pie," and "Josie and the Pussycats," have given her the same type of character.

In the end, "Just Visiting" delivers great, everlasting, though uninventive themes, while giving stale, dry comedy with no comedic effect.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

Grade: D+
-- Delivers great themes, but doesn't cut it as a freaking comedy!

Babe-o-meter: A-
-- Christina Applegate isn't looking as great as she used to (I say this will all due respect). Tara Reid is looking good as usual... Too bad she had lines. Bridgette Wilson-Sampras... Oh it pains me to write the Sampras part...