Movie Review: Happy Retirement 2 (2022)

Happy Retirement 2 // Posted by Fabrice Braque. With Michel Laroque, Thierry Lhermitte, and Constance Labbe.

France likes to create comedy franchises once the first installment is a minor hit. This is the case of Joyeuse Retraite which was a minor hit in 2019. I think after watching Joyeuse Retraite 2 the movie is best symbolized by the ass. Because yes, there is a donkey in the movie and the movie is as dumb as a donkey. It sucks in every way, especially since the characters never really get along and they all quickly become real gladiators. The first part was not very popular, but this sequel to Portugal brings together more than all the clichés about the Portuguese. It’s terribly embarrassing and racist. The trailer was already a tag but the movie had nothing to say. He is content to give a recitation of bad jokes as the actors seem to wonder what he is doing in the mess. Fabrice Braque has never been a good director of French comedies, but next to Joyeuse Retraite 2, Part 1 passes to be a masterpiece. Because for once it was a failed comedy but it had the advantage of letting its film play around while letting itself be consumed.

They thought they would finally have a quiet retirement… 3 years have passed. Marilou and Philippe decide to introduce their grandchildren to their new vacation home in Portugal. But once there, they discover to the horror that the house is still under construction! This is only the beginning of the galleys for the grandparents as they soon… lose babies. They only have two days left to find them, before their parents join them…

Michel La Rocque and Thierry Lhermitte are silly, boring and boring. None of the actors put in an effort and so we end up with a whole bunch of things that don’t work. But what saddens me the most is that generational comedy turns into racist jokes about the Portuguese. It’s 2022 and we’re still making movies like this. At first I thought I’d at least enjoy Joyeuse Retraite 2 as a spin-off from La Maison du Bonheur by Dany Boon, but that’s not the case. Joyeuse Retraite 2 is a deluxe TV movie, even as a TV movie it would be more than limited. I am a very good audience person and I respect the main actors, but turnips cannot be produced like this. The only survivor from the shipwreck remains Nicole Ferrone. And again, the poor thing is that the script didn’t really help her. We have to stop making this kind of cinema in France, so much money can no longer be thrown out the window to entertain people by thinking they are so stupid.

Rating: 0/10. In short, the essence of what is wrong with French cinema.

Released July 20, 2022 in cinemas – available on VOD, Blu-ray, and DVD