SMOKING CAUSES COUGHING (2022)

 

Editor, Cinematography, Written & Directed By: Quentin Dupieux

Cast: Giles Lellouche,  Vincent Lacoste, Anais Demoustier, Jean-Pascal Zadi, Oulaya Amamra, Adele Exarchopoulos, Tanguy Mercier 

A group of vigilantes called the "tobacco-forces" is falling apart. To rebuild team spirit, their leader suggests that they meet for a week-long retreat, before returning to save the world.

I keep watching the films of Quentin Dupieux because I really loved his first film RUBBER and keep hoping that each new film of his will be as good as that one. While I usually love the soundtracks/score I am A fan of the surreal

Absurd dry humor and the ideas used seem to be there. 

The film is never quite seen to rise to the occasion of their potential some are better than others but most end up somewhat disappointing until Now.

As this is one of his films that seemed to have the silliest and most ridiculous plots and I thoroughly enjoyed this throughout. 

Maybe because the wraparound spoof of Power Rangers shows their cheesiness and spreads morale or message and somewhere in there the film becomes an anthology of short stories or ideas the director seems to just pull out and try out with no rhyme or reason.

The tobacco force is where each member represents an ingredient in cigarettes. Together they produce a vapor that makes their enemies explode from the cancer they give them. They also have a robot sidekick and a mentor who gives them their missions shown to be a womanizing rat puppet who always seems to have green slime coming from his mouth. 

That somehow works as you keep wondering where the film Or stories that make half the film that is being told as a group bonding exercise are going, if anywhere 

By the end, I actually wanted more and was disappointed the film was so short. Which Is usually the opposite of the effect some of his films have had. 

The films can be hit or miss thought they are original and Definitely memorable. The film humor tends to be deadpan and dark  

I wish he was still doing the scores for his own films. As he had done when he made his early Films. Which made them a bit more worthwhile overall. 

Viewers beware his films aren’t for everyone and are not  Like anything most have encountered they are experimental, absurdist, and surreal that employ practical effects, and can be a bit disgusting at times they are usually comedies

He is a filmmaker I will always be interested in what he is working on or is coming out but it seems the stars have to align or he has to be on a certain random wavelength for the films to truly work to his advantage as well as the audiences.

Though I won’t lie and will admit Oulaya Amamra being in the cast certainly helped convince me to watch this. 

Grade: B