Pierre Brochant, a wealthy Parisian publisher, regularly attends a bizarre dinner where each guest is expected to bring along the most ridiculous person they can find. Convinced that François Pignon, a seemingly harmless and exceptionally enthusiastic tax accountant, will be the perfect target, Pierre invites him to dinner. But before the evening even begins, an unexpected back injury leaves Pierre confined to his apartment.
Pignon arrives and, despite his good intentions, begins turning Pierre’s carefully ordered life upside down. One misunderstanding leads to another as telephone calls, old relationships, and personal secrets become entangled, while Pierre desperately tries to prevent Pignon from making an already disastrous situation even worse.
Francis Veber’s comedy gradually turns the cruel premise of the dinner into a sharp examination of arrogance, friendship, and the consequences of treating another person as a joke. Much of the film’s humor comes from the contrast between Pierre’s cynical sophistication and Pignon’s sincere but disastrous attempts to help.
Director: Francis Veber Stars: Jacques Villeret, Thierry Lhermitte, Francis Huster, Daniel Prévost, Alexandra Vandernoot, Catherine Frot
