Fric-Frac (1939)

Description

Fric-Frac, slang for “breaking and entering,” is a story that serves as a metaphor for the Paris of the 1930s andis filled with the atmosphere of a light romantic comedy alongside the characters’ clever repartee and sparring. Marcel (Fernandel) works as an assistant to a jeweler whose bossy daughter, Renée, plans to marry. Unwittingly, Marcel pushes her away only to get mixed up with the lovely Loulou (the pretty and feisty Arletty) and her lazy friend Jo (Michel Simon),a couple of delinquent pickpockets who he finds fascinating. Marcel naively believes he can teach them the error of their ways, only to end up being an accomplice to their crime and the robbery of his boss’ jewelry shop. Luckily, success is not theirs as the indomitable Renée intervenes just in time! This unstoppable trio – with Arletty’s stellar delivery of charm and banter, Fernandel’s naiveté, and Michel Simon’s blend of both – served as a winning recipe for a flawless comedy.