Dumb and dumber

>> Funny Frenchmen Eric and Ramzy bring their stupid jokes overseas in La Tour Montparnasse infernale

by SIOBHÀN O'CONNOR

You can usually tell a lot about a person by what they find funny--or a group of people for that matter, which is why the latest French export, comedy duo Eric Judor and Ramzy Bedia, is so confusing. These purveyors of gross-out humour, sight gags and burlesque physical comedy--who have become the It boys in France, considered to be top-notch comedians as well as major hearththrobs--are the last people one would expect Parisians to embrace with more than a cold little bisou.

The duo hardly epitomizes what is though of as "French humour," something they both say worked against them in the beginning. "Not even the technicians were laughing," recalls Eric. "When the technicians aren't laughing you know it's bad--they're usually the easiest sell." While their beginnings in 1994 doing live sketch comedy were humble, the duo's cultish personality quickly caught on and they lined up gigs on radio and eventually landed their own sitcom, H, with a Saturday night slot on Canal +. Three years later, the boys finally get their big picture: the uneven but entertaining La Tour Montparnasse infernale, about a pair of window washers who witness a heist and try desperately to save a woman they think is in distress, only to learn that she's the heist's kingpin.

Out of their element in Montreal, both Eric and Ramzy are worried that people here won't "get it." Not that their jokes are very far-reaching or high-brow. It's the opposite, in fact, but when you're used to people falling out of their seats when you so much as sneeze, it's got to be a little nerve-wracking to promote a film in a city where almost no one knows who you are or why you matter.

Over their third allongés of the day, the two seem nervous, finishing each other's sentences, bickering and trying successfully to make their entourage laugh. "We were worried the humour wouldn't translate well over here," says Ramzy. "We're also used to performing in front of a live audience--" "So we're used to getting an immediate response," interjects Eric. "Because we have a background in stage, we're used to seeing exactly what the audience reacts to and when. If people don't laugh, the next day we'll change the joke. In film you can't do that."

Part Die Hard spoof and part Laurel and Hardy skit, the film does offer some very funny moments, but it tries too hard to be everything and, sadly, ends up feeling a little like nothing. With overlong jokes and an unnecessarily complicated plot, some more of their naive, junior-high humour and they'd probably have a gem on their hands.

When asked if they ever want to work on more serious projects, the pair responds in unison with a very loud non. "If I'm wasn't making people laugh, I think I'd be ashamed of myself," says Ramzy. "I just know that if I had to be serious for too long I'd just end up giggling," adds Eric. When asked if they foresee working separately, the pair responds again in unison with a much more resounding non. "Unless he robs me blind or steals my girl," laughs Eric.

Le Tour Montparnasse infernale opens Friday, July 27