Watch The Cabbage Soup For Free

the audience applauded

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Blistering performances.

Even though this movie shows itself as a lightweight comedy with a bit of sci fi, this movie's idea is way much deeper. "La soupe aux choux" is more than all things, the story of the sincere friendship between two old men through the ages. Besides and in spite of rough discussions between them, this friendship remains complete and always, but always sincere. Louis de Funes acts very nice in this movie. Movie's cinematography is done nice with minimal light, which probably shows main characters' distance from the rest of the world. Another nice thing is movie's catchy score. About the acting of other actor's besides Funes' , it is maybe a little bit done in expressionistic style. It's got a little bit bad effects(which is not so terrible, after all this is a 1981 movie) and somehow weird style of humor(jokes about farting) but after all, it has a happy end.

This movie is the one I watched most often. It seems to be a bit foolish first, two old men farting all the time and an alien allured by that sound. But the acting is simply great and the humor quite intelligent. The German title of that movie is "Louis und seine ausserirdischen Kohlköpfe" meaning "Louis and his extraterrestrial heads of cabbage". The German version is missing some of the original scenes, e.g. one where Chérasse tries to hang himself. Unfortunately I'm lacking of speaking French, so I can't assess the original version.It is my favourite movie with Louis de Funès next to "L'Aile ou la cuisse". He seems to be born for such a role playing a grumpy old man.

Non french people may feel very disoriented by this movie... Its dialogs and background refer to a scaring rural France which disappeared a long time ago. Dialogs sound dumb ? There are... Character look ridiculous ? They are... The story is a nonsense ? sure. So, what makes this movie so interesting and well known in french cinema history ? well, as i said in the title it is a very rare tale about friendship, and also loneliness and fate. The two protagonists are old poor isolated countrymen close to death. They have lost everything (love, youth, illusions, hope) but themselves and their friendship. The world has changed too much... The movie was released as a stupid comedy (it has this reputation anyway). But it is a very sad movie and i often saw people crying during the film.

This film is an adaptation from René Fallet's novel: "la soupe aux choux" that is a good novel. Two farmers who are fond of red wine and of cabbage soup are visited by an extra-terrestrial who apppreciate the soup. In exchange of soup, he comes back to life one of the farmers's wife who will quickly leave her elderly husband due to his age. Because they are aware that modern world doesn't fit them, the two farmers are leaving on another planet with their houses and their soup. When you watch this film, there is one thing that is very obvious: it was especially made for Louis De Funès (besides, he wrote the screenplay of the film with the director Jean Girault) and consequently the other actors have got only a decorative role; if you compare Jean Carmet and Jacques Villeret to De Funès, the two actors are very pale. Moreover, this film is often vulgar (De Funès and Carmet who make a stupid competition of farts after drinking a lot), and dumb too; the music that is made of synthesizers is completely incompatible with the story and sounds like Abba music. This vulgarity can even fade to racism to farmers. All around the farmers' houses, an enormous town was built and its inhabitants are laughing at them. The only positive points that you can put forward are Jacques Villeret who is very funny when he's shouting "glou glou glou" and even if De Funès hams it up, it's always nice to see him getting angry. At last if Fallet had seen the film, he would have feel betrayed and if this film is too crude for you, you can always read the novel.