Certain things may seem ... strange to say the least. Like how people of color were treated. Not just in America mind you. And this movie showcases just that. Omar Sy is very well known for another comedy, but as with that other movie, there are underlying social and ethical questions here.

I personally never was too much of a fan of laughing at other peoples pain. That is if we are talking about real pain. Or dignity - if someone trips it is embarassing, because most will laugh as a first reaction instead of worry if something happened or what made the person trip. In comedy that is used to their advantage - as is the case here, where we laugh with the silliness but also the "pain" of the characters displayed.

But what we see on the surface is just that: it is on the surface! Because there is a lot more to be seen here. As a character piece this is quite incredible and really well thought of and played. It is not just fun and games though as you can imagine ... and all that in the face of that or similar things actually being true (as in they happened) ...

The story about an early black clown makes for an interesting tale; the circus setting is always a welcome deviation from our rational world, and there's even some nice acting and good sets here. Somehow it still doesn't add up to an A movie for me, although I'll recommend it at least for a single viewing.

The producers and director showed some balls in keeping this from being either a feelgood movie or a politically correct pamphlet; instead they go for a rather realistic and character-driven angle. The downside to this bold decision is that the movie is not very captivating, simply because the main character is - like most men - a mixed bag at best and a cautionary example of what money can do to people. In fact, this cautionary tale of a man whose very financial success leads to his moral decline is much more in the center of the movie than the racial themes which are dealt with mainly in a five minute detour.

I just saw this movie in the theater in France and I had very high hopes for it. Although there were many positive aspects to this film, the main ones being the wonderful Omar Sy and James Thierree, I believe the film should have had more magic. However, movie tries to do to many things at the same time - a biopic, a historical film, an activist film, a friendship film.. - and the result is messy. I would have liked to see more of the relationship between the two main protagonists. Why did they become friends ? What were there struggles ? How did they work on their acts ? It is true that the movie gives some glimpses of those things, but never quite enough. This is a problem because I did not feel emotionally involved in scenes such as the one in which Chocolat and Footit find out they are going to Paris to pursue their career. I should have been. Even more so during the last scene of the movie. Only by then I was looking at my watch because the movie had been dragging a little too long. That being said, it is a worth seeing for its main actors. I give it 7/10 because of them.