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Sadly Over-hyped

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The original is definitely better, but that doesn't make this a bad movie. Also, there are two different versions of this movie (both from 2001 and with the same actors) but I can only find one on IMDb.Even though many scenes are exactly the same, for instance: when Jean Reno and Christian Clavier arrive in the present, they wreck a wine red 4x4 on the parking of the museum that they call a "Red Dragon" except, in the English version, the radio is playing the song "Macarena". One of the versions is spoken in french and starts at an inauguration of a medieval saloon and ends with Jean Reno kissing Christina Applegate in a castle window (I like this version better), the other version is spoken in English and begins in the medieval era and ends in "the present" with Christian Clavier and Tara Reid entering Las Vegas on a purple Chrysler Prowler, this last one is the one I consider an "american remake" from the original 1993 french movie Les Visiteurs, still, both are great for many good laughs.I find it curious the I couldn't find any information about existing more than a version of this movie, anywhere....

Thibault Malféte (Jean Reno) is a pompous French knight with a disgusting idiot squire André Le Paté (Christian Clavier) in the n12th century. He is getting married to English Princess Rosalind (Christina Applegate). His enemy tries to stop the wedding by giving the princess a hallucinogen. He accidentally takes it instead and kills the princess in a delusional state. He gets help from a wizard (Malcolm McDowell) to transport him back in time to fix his mistake. Instead, it goes wrong and he's sent to a modern day Chicago museum run by Dr. Brady (George Plimpton) and curated by Julia (Christina Applegate). Julia assumes he's her lost presumed-dead cousin. Her boyfriend Hunter (Matt Ross) is selling his estate and having an affair with Amber (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras). Andre falls for kind-hearted Angelique (Tara Reid).Jean Reno is really off-putting in this movie. He is really annoying for a lead. One of the problems is his attitude. He treats Andre like crap. He is arrogant. He is an idiot but not a lovable idiot. The whole movie is aggressively annoying. Jean Reno may not be the right person to do this role. At the very least, transplanting a French comedy should come with a warning.

I don't understand the negative reviews of this film. It's funny - downright hilarious in parts - and can be watched repeatedly without getting stale. Being a remake notwithstanding (I haven't seen the original), I also found it fairly original, at least for American cinema. The perspective and social commentary on the class system is present without being cloying, and the special effects are good for a movie of this sort. All in all, it reminds me a bit of another French film, "The Fifth Element," that didn't make a bit splash in the theaters, but has been enduring.A note about the review summary - I enjoy a Quentin Tarantino (insert your favorite non-family friendly director here) film as much as the next person - so I'm not trying to make any sort of veiled morality statement by invoking the term "family friendly." However, I find that the term is often used to refer to the formulaic pablum that saturates us - you know, the one where the girl's stern, old-school father is strict with her for her own good, but in the end her individuality and rebelliousness save the day and everyone learns a valuable lesson (all in the midst of a hail of product placements). "Just Visiting" is, refreshingly, not that film...

Has anyone else noticed the Nighthawks (Edward Hopper, 1942) reference in the diner right before Julia learns how to use the sword? There is a redheaded woman in a red dress and a man in a fedora sitting at the counter. The person behind the counter is wearing a paper hat. I know the painting hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago, but I don't know if the scene is supposed to be in Chicago or New York or just a generic diner in a city. Since there was no commentary on the DVD I rented, I couldn't find out the reasoning behind including the characters from that painting. Any help? Peggy