''Workers for the Good Lord'' (french: Les Savates du bon Dieu) is a 2000 French

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film written and directed by

Jean-Claude Brisseau Jean-Claude Brisseau (; 17 July 1944 – 11 May 2019) was a French filmmaker best known for his 2002 film ''Secret Things'' ("Choses Secrètes") and his 2006 film '' The Exterminating Angels'' ("Les Anges exterminateurs"). His film ''Céline'' wa ...

, starring

Stanislas Merhar Stanislas Merhar (born 24 January 1971) is a French actor. He was born in Paris in a family of immigrants from Slovenia. He works in cinema, television and theatre. In 1998 Merhar won the César Award for Most Promising Actor for his role in the ...

, Raphaële Godin,

Emil Abossolo-Mbo Emil or Emile may refer to: Literature *''Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life *''Emil and the Detective ...

Paulette Dubost Paulette may refer to: *Paulette (name), French feminine given name *Paulette (tax) * Paulette Caveat - a caveat filed in 1973 by a group of Dene chiefs at the land titles office in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to gain a legal interest in 40 ...

and Coralie Revel. The film was chosen by ''

Cahiers du Cinéma ''Cahiers du Cinéma'' (, ) is a French film magazine co-founded in 1951 by André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, and Joseph-Marie Lo Duca.Itzkoff, Dave (9 February 2009''Cahiers Du Cinéma Will Continue to Publish''The New York TimesMacnab, Ge ...

'' as one of the 10 best pictures of 2000.

Plot

Elodie, tired of her husband Fred's generous ways, endangering the family's finances, dumps him when he gets fired. Emotionally devastated, he turns into a modern

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

, robbing a post office to help a beggar, and escapes in a stolen car with Sandrine, who has long had a crush on him. They meet Maguette, an African prince turned into a penniless exile. Together the three head south.

Cast

Critical reception

Lisa Nesselson of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' described the film as "a radical genre pastiche", "over the top", "extravagantly lensed, socio-romantic experiment" adding, "It's so bad it's good."

References

External links

* * * 2000 films 2000 crime drama films 2000 comedy-drama films 2000s crime comedy-drama films 2000s French-language films Films directed by Jean-Claude Brisseau Films shot in France French crime comedy-drama films 2000s French films {{2000s-France-film-stub