Is a difficult year a good movie? Here are the first audience thoughts on this comedy with Jonathan Cohen and Pio Marmai

For their eighth feature after Hors Normes, Intouchables and Our Happy Days, the duo Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache immerse us in an associative setting and contrast two worlds.

Into their world are two newcomers, Jonathan Cohen and Noemi Merlanti, and Pio Marmai, whom they meet again after a series of therapy sessions, the feature film deals with several social issues, such as overconsumption, over-indebtedness and the climate emergency.

Albert and Bruno are two over-indebted forty-year-olds who meet young environmental activists. More attracted by the free beer and chips than their arguments, they gradually join the movement without conviction.

With 705 ratings and 100 reviews at the time of writing, A Difficult Year has a viewer rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars. making it the duo’s fifth highest-rated film behind The Untouchables (4.4/5), Hors Normes (4.3), Le Sens de la fête (4/5) and Our Happy Days (3.9/5).

Audiences seem to appreciate the acting, direction, and script, which is considered “feel good,” but regret that the film struggles to pick a true tone.

So ned123 from Club AlloCiné writes: “Jonathan Cohen, not two lovable, and Pio Marmay, shockingly honest, play two overtasked people who cross paths with activists trying to act for the climate. (…) This is a noble film, well constructed. The dialogues are delicious and some Sections where we feel that the actors had fun improvising.(…) We have a great time on a topic that is very relevant.“

“The trio of Jonathan Cohen, Pio Marmai and Noemi Merlant is doing a great job”

For Alice025, the film leads to reflection: “An enjoyable favorite from the new film by directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano. They still master the art of qualitatively good movies, despite the sensitive and serious topics they deal with.

The trio of Jonathan Cohen, Pio Marmay, and Noemi Merlant do a great job playing on the distinction between over-indebted/over-consumer and environmental activists. Very funny without being gratuitously mocking, which makes us think about our society, A Difficult Year also moves because of our attachment to its characters. A new movie that does a lot of good without forgetting a quality soundtrack!”

“A difficult year” for Cinévore24, who give it a 3/5 ratingIt doesn’t have a touch of heaviness in the story, which gives them characters and situations that can be carried over the course of the story and allows us to really relate to them.”

A movie that’s too caricatured?

AlloCiné member Azzzo is a bit more nuanced: “The film is very successful, thanks to the well-crafted screenplay, excellent pacing and staging. However, we can criticize the somewhat caricatured approach to the discussed topic.

Contrasting the urgency of the end of the month with the urgency of the end of the world is a very relevant idea; This is the Gordian knot that environmental movements are struggling to overcome. But from this political questioning, in the end, no outline of an answer emerges, only an excuse for a good comedy with the caricature Pio Marmai, Jonathan Cohen and especially Noemi Merlant in the roles of a basket case and an eco-feminist.e.”

Internet user @placeoflucas is disappointed: “A far less engaging and engaging film than the duo’s previous films. I’m still searching for the film’s real purpose, we’re served a mere accumulation of situations that ultimately don’t serve much of a purpose…“

Thierry P also regrets that the film paints such a stereotypical portrait of environmental activists and gives it an average rating. “Picking a theme with the zeitgeist, climate anxiety and overconsumption, but making it an empty excuse because the point of the film is simply the search for a man trying to meet a woman is a very dishonest script indeed.

In addition, all activists, without exception, are presented as mild lunatics at best, total tartuffs at worst. (…) Making fun of a social category because of their beliefs is deeply reprehensible. Yes, we laugh sometimes, but does that make it a good movie? Obviously not!“

It is best to form your own opinion. A difficult year awaits you in cinema.