Mr. Hulot's Holiday

Today I watched Mr. Hulot's Holiday, a french comedy directed by and starring Jacques Tati in 1953. It's a cute movie, almost a silent film. It's about Mr. Hulot, a tall, angular fellow with an overstuffed pipe that he smokes. He is one of those characters who bumbles about and causes mayhem, although he doesn't realize it. Here, he invades a small seaside hotel, upsetting grumpy patrons.

It's not an insane, screwball comedy, or one with a ton of laughs. It's a lot of small moments, some that made me smile more than they made me laugh. I like that, though - not being a huge fan of comedy, I'm ok with them being small and more subtle. It was charming, and I like characters like Hulot. There were a lot of great moments, one of my favorites being the lazy dog he tries to wake in the middle of the road, or when he is out canoeing - the canoe flips over him and snaps, and he marches onto shore looking like a shark while people on the beach panic and flee.