Directed by Francis Veber and released in 1998, Le Dîner de Cons was the second highest-grossing film in France that year, behind only Titanic. It began life as a stage play, running for over 900 performances in Paris, and the comic precision of that theatrical origin shows in every scene.

We will read directly from the theatre script, watch extracts from the film and discuss the film's humour and commentary on Parisian society.

The story is simple: Pierre Brochant, a wealthy Parisian publisher, invites a well-meaning but catastrophically clumsy civil servant, François Pignon, to dinner as a cruel joke — only for an evening of escalating disasters to unfold entirely at Pierre's expense.

The film never left the apartment. It doesn't need to.

It won three César Awards in 1999, including Best Actor for Jacques Villeret's performance as Pignon — widely regarded as one of the great comedic performances in French cinema.

• The dialogue is extraordinary. Veber wrote for the stage first, and the script is a masterpiece of comic timing. Every exchange is precise, rhythmic, and endlessly quotable. Spending three months with it reveals layers you simply don't catch in one viewing.
  
  
• It reveals how French humour actually works. The comedy is rooted in social class, embarrassment, and the gap between how the French present themselves and how they actually behave. There is no better entry point into French comic culture.
  
  
• The language is rich but accessible. The characters speak in natural, contemporary French — puns, misunderstandings, phone calls gone wrong. It rewards close attention and repeated listening in a way few films do.
  
  
• It holds a mirror up to French society. Beneath the laughter is a sharp critique of Parisian elitism, social cruelty, and the question of who is really the fool. It provokes genuine conversation.
  
  
• It gets better every time. Viewers who love it often say the same thing: the second and third watch are funnier than the first. That makes it perfect for a slow, three-month immersion.