How to make a killing is an absolutely hilarious, madcap, screwball comedy that will remind you of the great ridiculous comedies from the 1980s.
How to make a killing is a film written, directed and acted in by Franck Dubosc (who you may remember from Rumba Therapy (Rumba La Vie) at AFFFF 2022 and Rolling to you (Tout le monde debout) from AFFFF 2019). He plays Michel, who after swerving to avoid a bear on the road (where the French title Un ours dans le Jura (meaning “a bear in the Jura”) comes from), hits a car and kills the two occupants. Inside the car are 2 million euros, and a designer handbag containing a gun.
His wife Cathy is played by the brilliant Laure Calamy, who again shows her versatility and skill for comedy, just as in Antoinette in the Cévennes (Antoinette dans les Cévennes) from AFFFF 2021. Cathy is a true-crime afficionado and quite frankly the brains of the operation, even if some of her ideas are extremely laughable because they are so unlikely to work.
The local gendarmerie (police station) is manned by Roland (Benoît Poelvoorde who is also in Beating Hearts (L’amour ouf) at this year’s AFFFF, and who you may know best from Romantics Anonymous (Les Emotifs anonymes) from many years ago). Florence (played by Joséphine de Meaux (also in Riviera Revenge (N’avoue jamais) at this year’s festival)) works alongside him. This small-town gendarmerie is suddenly overwhelmed with growing reports of a bear on the loose in the forest, and the arrival of a group of immigrants who speak no French at all – which leads to the farcical question of their co-worker “do you speak Tamil?” to which he replies “No, I’m Moroccan”, “how about English?” to which again the reply is “No, I’m Moroccan. I speak Arabic”.
Set over 5 days in the lead-up to Christmas, each day brings a new instalment in Michel and Cathy’s quest to cover up the deaths and to distance themselves from any involvement in them. And each day seems to have more twists and turns and ridiculousness than the last! Franck Dubosc, together with Sarah Kaminsky, truly has excelled in writing How to make a killing. And Dubosc acting alongside Laure Calamy is the on-screen couple we didn’t know we needed.
Emmanuelle Devos (also in Bolero at this year’s festival, and star of A Silence from last year’s festival and Perfumes, AFFFF 2021) has a surprising and amusing cameo role.
The style of comedy reminds us of the ridiculousness of the National Lampoons Vacation films from the 80s. A Welcome to the Jura mural in the town’s centre features several times throughout the film and made us think of the Alaskan set comedy drama show Northern Exposure from the 1990s, and its centrepiece mural.
If you like dark comedy, or comedies that hark back to the slapstick comedies of many years ago, you’ll love How to make a killing. This is an absolute must see of the Alliance Française French Film Festival 2025. We guarantee you will laugh, and quite possibly a lot.
5 CROISSANTS
Matilda Marseillaise saw the film at a media preview. You can see it at the Alliance Française French Film Festival 2025
KEY INFO FOR ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2025
WHAT: Alliance Française French Film Festival 2025
WHERE & WHEN:
Adelaide, SA: 19 March – 23 April Venues: Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas
Brisbane, QLD: 6 March – 8 April Venues: Palace Cinema James Street, Palace Cinema Barracks
Canberra, ACT: 6 March – 9 April Venue: Palace Electric Cinemas
Melbourne, VIC: 5 March – 9 April Venues: Palace Cinema Como, The Kino, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Westgarth, Pentridge Cinema, The Astor Theatre, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Regent Ballarat
Perth, WA: 13 March – 16 April Venues: Palace Raine Square, Luna on SX, Luna Leedeerville, Windsor Cinema
Sydney, NSW: 4 March – 9 April Venues: Palace Central, Palace Norton Street, Chauvel Cinema, Palace Moore Park, Hayden Orpheum Cremorne, Roseville Cinemas, Warriewood
HOW: Tickets are available from today, Wednesday 5 February 2025. You can purchase them from the cinema the film is screening at or affrenchfilmfestival.org or the cinema websites www.palacecinemas.com.au and www.palacenova.com.au
HOW MUCH: Ticket prices vary in each city so check your local cinema or the website. If you’re planning to see several films, you may want to book them all together to take advantage of discount pricing for 5, or 10 films.
