Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
During the elimination of the Belgian/French border in the 90s, a Belgian customs officer is forced to team up with one of his French counterparts.
A light Franco-Belgian buddy comedy built around the EU border elimination premise, 'Nothing to Declare' mines cultural friction between a xenophobic Belgian customs officer and his French colleague for decent laughs. The plot is formulaic — predictable character arc of prejudice giving way to friendship — and the ending follows the expected redemption template without surprise. Acting is competent with Benoît Poelvoorde bringing his usual unhinged energy as the lead. Cinematography is unremarkable, functional for the genre. The novelty comes from its specific Franco-Belgian cultural setting and the pointed satirical angle on European integration and border identity, giving it a distinctive enough flavour above generic buddy-cop fare, even if the execution is by-the-numbers overall.