Happiness is in the fields (1995)

Étienne Chatilliez' Happiness is in the fields turned out to be an entertaining comedy that made me laugh out loud several times - but it is not the kind of film I will remember. Life is pretty shitty for Francis. Trouble at work, no fun at home. Francis is the owner of a toilet-seat producing factory (!) where the workers make too much trouble. The daughter has decided that she wants a fancy wedding and the wife is cold. Francis spends quality time at the bar with his mates. Then something happens. A tawdry TV show presents stories about people who look for somebody. A sentimental story is churned out about a woman that hasn't seen her husband in ages - and the husband looks just like Francis! He decides to act as if he were that lost husband, and that turns out to be the best decision he ever made. Happiness is in the fields is a light-hearted affair that is funny in scenes that don't try much, but succeeds in that quirky silliness, that special oddity. Francis' mate Gérard saves the film. Watch it on a rainy day if you lust for the stereotypical French, whimsical comedy.