65
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80VarietyScott FoundasVarietyScott FoundasA sparkling and savvy comedy of political manners.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyQuai d’Orsay zips along at a good clip and benefits from the gruffly benevolent gravity of Arestrup, which offsets the machine-gun pace set by Lhermitte.
- 75Slant MagazineKenji FujishimaSlant MagazineKenji FujishimaWith its broad performances, rapid-fire pacing, and rampant visual and verbal gags, Bernard Tavernier's first out-and-out comedy doesn't try too hard to hide its graphic-novel origins.
- 70Village VoiceChris PackhamVillage VoiceChris PackhamMannered and often very funny.
- 70The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisMr. Tavernier’s filmmaking here is loose, almost casual, and you may not always notice what he’s doing with the camera as he frames the ministry’s choreographed chaos with its whirling people and parts.
- 65NPRMark JenkinsNPRMark JenkinsThe French Minister boasts robust pacing, screwball-comedy banter and an exuberant central performance. For most American viewers, though, the movie could use footnotes to go with its subtitles.
- 63New York PostFarran Smith NehmeNew York PostFarran Smith NehmeThe conclusion feels too good-natured after nearly two hours of a minister who would need typed instructions to butter a baguette.
- 60New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanDirector Bertrand Tavernier’s amusing new political satire isn’t toothless, but it could use more bite.
- 50The DissolveMike D'AngeloThe DissolveMike D'Angelo[Lhermitte's] energetic performance is by far the best reason to see the film, which should probably have been directed by somebody else; Tavernier has little flair for comedy.
- 50RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaRogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaIt is never a good situation when a subtitled foreign release is highly dependent on words to get its point across—especially when those words are supposed to make you laugh.