The Troubles of Alfred (1972)
Unlucky in love, Alfred tries to commit suicide, only to be thwarted by police efforts to prevent a simultaneous attempt by a nearby young woman. Recovering, the young lady puts him up at her house, as he has run out of places to live. He joins a Parisian sporting team and seems to have transferred his bad luck to a corrupt television boss who is attempting to manipulate the game so that Alfred's Paris team loses.
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The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.
This movie put Pierre Richard on the map and he became the biggest French comic star of the seventies ,culminating in the triumph of "La Chèvre" in 1981 ,in which he played opposite Depardieu.Alfred is a born loser ,always down on his luck;he tries to commit suicide but happily his attempt is a failure and he meets Agathe (Anny Duperey)a lovely TV host.The movie is essentially a marvelous precise spoof on the television games of the era and their stupidity.As they are today even more pathetic than they were yesterday ,"Les Malheurs D'Alfred " is still relevant in our times.Not only Richard starred in it but he also directed the movie,his sophomore effort (the first one was "Le Distrait").
This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Pierre Richard plays a character much resembling the one he portrayed in La Chevre, although drawn with much more subtlety. Very fast paced at the start the movie gradually slows down, turning into a romantic comedy. Never dull, bringing Monty Python skits to mind at times. Behind the witty plot is a French writer, Roland Topor. No sledgehammer "Naked Gun"-like humor in this one, but if you like a good laugh and a good plot you should see it.