Me Two (La Personne aux Deux Personnes)
Imagine Daniel Auteuil as a dag, a complete and utter dag. Difficult, I know, but he manages to play the part convincingly in this terribly silly French comedy by Nicholas Charlet and Bruno Lavaine.
Jean-Christian Ranu (Auteuil) is an accountant, and about as bland as a bean-counter can get. He barely manages to hang onto his job, where his workspace is a small space in a compactor shelving unit. His home life isn’t much better. Living in what is essentially a bedsit, his large (and only) window is flush with a road conveying the heavy local traffic that passes by his apartment, which is extremely close to the road, by the way. It’s hardly prime real estate. Still, he derives some comfort from his teddy bear, and given that he goes to bed early (usually by 8.30pm), he’s not home all that much – not awake, anyway.
Ranu’s life is uncomplicated, if somewhat boring. But that all changes, when he is hit by a car driven by another loser, an ex-performer from the 80’s: a one-hit wonder with career revival aspirations, Gilles Gabriel (Chabat). Gabriel is killed in the accident, but his spirit lives on in the mind of Ranu. Well, not so much in his mind, as in his head: he sees what Ranu sees, he hears what Ranu hears. It’s as if Ranu suddenly has two people in his head.
This leads to some predictable but not unamusing incidents, until Ranu works out that the voice he can hear is inside his own head. Ranu moves from panic to comfort, realising that he is now not alone. Meanwhile, Gabriel figures that if they put their heads together (so to speak), they could write the song that could mark the resurgence of his pop career.
Along the way, Gabriel coaches Ranu through a business presentation, and gives him tips on fashion and socialising. This gives Ranu a newfound chutzpah and the confidence he needs to approach the girl of his dreams.
Me Two isn’t the funniest French comedy ever made, but with its sweetness and silliness, it’s a pleasant enough experience that ends on a high and humorous note.