Plot Summary: A proudly French family takes a DNA ancestry test expecting to confirm their pure Gallic roots. The results, predictably, are a disaster, and the film proceeds to mine every stereotype it can find.
Director: Julien Hervé
Writer: Julien Hervé
Music: Matei Bratescot
Starring:
Christian Clavieras Frédéric Bouvier Sauvage
Didier Bourdonas Gérard Martin
Sylvie Testud as Nicole Martin
Marianne Denicourtas Catherine Bouvier Sauvage
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⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️
DNA Results & French Ignorance
I recently did a DNA test and found out I'm 70% Portuguese, 15% Spanish, and 15% North African. During a mini-vacation in Ferreira do Zêzere last week, this came up with my cousin Catarina. She mentioned Cocorico and specifically the scene where Marianne Denicourt's character faints after discovering she's 20% Portuguese. Apparently, being Portuguese in this film is treated like a f***ing curse.
Look, I get humour au second degré, I thought it was funny at first glance. But mid-movie I couldn't help feeling mildly offended because the plot and humor are weak as hell. What actually bit me the most was their choice to cast a French actor as a Portuguese plumber who absolutely sucks at speaking Portuguese. Note to writer and director Julien Hervé: we don't greet each other with "tudo bom?" That's how Brazilians talk, and even they rarely use it that way. Lazy, poor work all around.
Watch the clip below where the "Portuguese" plumber incorrectly pronounces almost every Portuguese surname he lists.
Embarrassing Comedy & Outdated Clichés
The comedy in this film is just plain embarrassing. When Didier Bourdon's character discovers he's half German, the movie naturally takes the easy route with a bunch of outdated, unoriginal World War II jokes. In Portugal, we have a saying, "bater no ceguinho" (beating the blind man), which means endlessly repeating the same pointless thing without achieving anything. That's exactly what this movie does.
Germans would be more than justified in feeling mildly annoyed, Nazi Germany was a long time ago, bruh. You have modern genocidal countries you could make fun of instead, even if that's no laughing matter either. Instead of Christian Clavier's character discovering he's 10% Cherokee, maybe he could have found out he's Israeli... if that's even a thing. The only mild saving grace was Clavier himself; his micro-expressions gave me a few actual laughs because he's a genuinely funny dude. And to give credit where it's due, the back-and-forth between Clavier and Denicourt always managed to draw a smile or two out of me.
Check out this clip where the movie mocks Native Americans in the most basic, cliché, and overdone way possible.
Don't Waste Your Time
I don't recommend Cocorico. It's stupid, childish, and not funny. Only your grandfather might chuckle at these outdated war and soccer jokes. To make matters worse, I just learned a sequel is hitting theaters where Clavier plays both his character and a Turkish cousin. Oh boy, more groundbreaking originality!
I usually like French humor, but I couldn't find a trace of it in this movie. I definitely advise my fellow Portuguese viewers to stay away, if enough of us watched this, we'd probably declare war on France, lol.
One last thing I was completely unaware of before watching this: DNA ancestry tests are actually illegal for private individuals in France. French law prohibits them outside of medical or judicial contexts, supposedly to protect family privacy and social cohesion. Interesting concept. I personally think it has more to do with the fact that if every French family ran one of these tests, half the country would find out their dad isn't really their dad. Just a theory.
Watch another "hilarious and original" (NOT!) gag below, featuring the French attempting to speak English.
Freddy's Final Rating
34
A Sunday afternoon movie you put on after family lunch and forget by dinner.
🎬 You Might Also Enjoy:
Le Grand Bleu (1988)
Luc Besson at his absolute best — this is what French cinema can actually be.
BigBug (2022)
A so-so French sci-fi comedy — not great, but at least it tries something different.
Macadam Stories (2015)
A genuinely nice French film — proof the country can do better than this.
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