Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
After ten years of doing nothing, Orel and Gringe are in their mid 30s and they struggle to finish their first rap album. Their texts are mostly sex jokes and booze stories and reflect the everyday life they have in a small town from France. The problem is that they never really finished a song and when their producers want to meet, they have to face a new challenge : finish their first song in the next 24h. Their old issues, the fear of failure, their alcoholic friends and annoying girlfriends won't help them to do so, or will they ?
Comment c'est loin is a charming French comedy that benefits from the genuine chemistry and natural performances of Orel and Gringe, who play fictionalized versions of themselves. The plot is a fairly familiar 'race against the clock' creative crisis story, but it's grounded in an authentic milieu of provincial French rap culture and friendship that gives it a distinctive flavor. The cinematography is functional but unremarkable, shot in a low-budget, handheld style that suits the tone without being particularly inspired. The ending wraps things up in a somewhat predictable and underwhelming fashion, failing to fully capitalize on the emotional buildup. Novelty is moderate — while the rap world setting and the duo's real-life personas add a layer of authenticity, the narrative structure itself treads familiar comedic ground.