Soigne Ta Droite! (Keep your right up!) (Jean-Luc Godard, 1987)

Well, I was ready for “a mind-boggling comedy” and well, it sure was! Well, not so much a laugh-out-loud comedy for the most part. Sure, overall it was a refreshing light-hearted film and there were some moments where I was just left with my mouth open. I think most of the credit for my positive impression of the film is due to Jean-Luc Godard who appeared in the film himself, as a director named Prince (referred to in the voice-over as “the Idiot”) who needs to have a film ready for distribution in 24 hours. The film is made up of plenty of sketches, in places such as the plane and on a golf course, as well as meanwhile showing a rock band recording an album. (The rock band is actually Rita Mitsouko − I knew it was familiar, and I found myself singing along to her song “C'est comme ça”, which featured prominently in the film.) 

Apparently, the title "Soigne Ta Droite!" is a phrase used in boxing by the trainer, as well as a play on the name of Jacques Tati’s first short film Soigne ton gauche (Keep your left up). I was actually reminded of Tati in this film, seeing as though a lot of the comedy is physical and Godard was just like a Mr Bean slapstick figure, clumsy and weird and just amusing. I love this scene, where he describes how the Wimbledon  tennis championship has changed:

It is both an experimental as well as a touch of mainstream comedy type of film, as Godard still questions life and death with his philosophical musings. A frequent intertitle that appears is: “On place sur la terre”, which is “somewhere on earth”, adding to the complexity of the film as the characters try to find their place in the world. I’m sure on closer inspection, there is much more material to draw out but I’m content with just watching the absurdity of the film, and the magnificent Godard try his hand at acting as well, to really feel the need to take in more.

3.5/5