Monsieur Hulot, Jacques Tati’s endearing clown, takes a holiday at a seaside resort, where his presence provokes one catastrophe after another. Tati’s masterpiece of gentle slapstick is a series of effortlessly well-choreographed sight gags involving dogs, boats, and firecrackers; it was the first entry in the Hulot series and the film that launched its maker to international stardom.
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 2 wins & 3 nominations total
Top Critics Reviews
fresh:
There are some real laughs in it, but Mr. Hulot's Holiday gives us something rarer, an amused affection for human nature -- so odd, so valuable, so particular.
– Roger Ebert,
Chicago Sun-Times,
1 Jan 2000
fresh:
Jacques Tati's bumbling stick-bug of an alter ego is considered by many to be the funniest creation to come out of Gallic cinema.
– David Fear,
Time Out New York,
18 Nov 2009
fresh:
Though the film is in French with English subtitles, what people say matters little. Its official language is the international patois of slapstick.
– Carrie Rickey,
Philadelphia Inquirer,
4 Mar 2010
fresh:
Tati is heir to the great comics of the silent era, Chaplin and Keaton and Lloyd.