This uneven comedy, from the director of Wild Target, strives to be a Gallic Withnail And I, but lacks the original's sparky interplay and poisonous gallows humour.
It starts off promisingly, detailing the adventures of two unemployable misfits (Cluzet playing the lost romantic, Antoine, to Depardieu's layabout, Fred), living in alcohol-fuelled squalor in a Parisian flat. These anti-heroes are driven to desperation by the prospect of their eviction and resort to delightfully incompetent petty crime.
However, between ignominious destitution and a spot of breaking and entering, the pair indulge in a series of well-observed episodes that see aspiring playwright Antoine's attempts to document a failed affair relegated to the wastebin in favour of writing for a karate magazine. Meanwhile, workshy Fred's attempts to bypass employment lead him into photography, ushering in a bizarre sexual encounter with the object of his desire, model Sylvie (Judith Henry), who invites him back to her bedroom under the watchful eyes of her voyeur boyfriend.
In these scenes, co-writer and director Salvadori shows glimpses of the quirky flair that made his previous effort such fun. But such scenes are few and far between. Full marks, though, to Depardieu and particularly Cluzet for imbuing these two losers with far more onscreen appeal than the script gives them any right to expect.