Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Two babies are switched at birth. When the mistake is discovered 12 years later, it leads to complications in the lives of both families. One family is affluent, with dutiful and (apparently) contented children. The other family is poor, with rambunctious (even delinquent) children, often hungry, but with lots of laughter in the house.
Étienne Chatiliez's debut is a sharply observed French social satire that dissects class hypocrisy with surgical wit. The premise of switched babies exposing bourgeois pretension versus working-class chaos is executed with genuine originality and biting comic intelligence. The two family portraits are drawn with exaggerated but pointed precision, making the class commentary land effectively. The acting is solid ensemble work without standout performances. Cinematography is functional and unfussy, serving the satirical tone without visual ambition. The ending deflates somewhat, losing narrative momentum once the satirical premise has been fully exploited, and the resolution feels somewhat arbitrary. Still, as a debut feature with a distinctive voice in French comedy, it earned Chatiliez considerable recognition and remains a singular entry in late-80s European satire.