''Workers for the Good Lord'' () 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, definiti ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

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 ''Les Anges Exterminateurs, The Exterminating Angels'' ("Les Anges exterminateurs"). ...

, 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 may refer to: Literature *''Emil and the Detectives'' (1929), a children's novel *"Emil", nickname of the Kurt Maschler Award for integrated text and illustration (1982–1999) *''Emil i Lönneberga'', a series of children's novels by Astr ...

Paulette Dubost Paulette Dubost (8 October 1910 – 21 September 2011) was a French actress who began her career at the age of 7 at the Paris Opera. She appeared in over 250 films and worked with directors such as Marcel Carné, Jean Renoir, Max Ophüls ('' L ...

and Coralie Revel. The film was chosen by '' Cahiers du Cinéma'' 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 noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

, 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