The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, June 5, 1984 - Page 9 French fluff floats nowhere fast By Byron Bull T ES COMPERES is the French equivalent of an American " feel good" movie. A mild mannered bit of undisguised sentimentality that tries to pluck ones heartstrings with its endless cuteness. If this had been a domestic release, it would undoubtedly have sunk into obscurity. But since it's in French with subtitles, many people will likely embrace this film as readily as they did innocuous fluff as Peppermint Soda and Cousin Cousine. The action follows two strangers thrown together in a search for a runaway boy both think may be his son. The boy's mother, to enlist the help of these two for- mer beaus-neither of whom she has seen since her marriage years before-has concocted the story that one of them is actually the boy's father. Both men, swept up by their paternal instincts, take up the task without thoroughly challenging the story's credi bility. Lucas, played by France's leading man Gerard Depardieu, is a successful, flamboyant journalist. Still a bachelor, and feeling some nagging emptiness in his life, he takes up the job with some reluctance, but quickly grows determined to find his hitherto unknown son. His partner in the venture is Francois, played by comic actor Pierre Richard, a frail, penniless loser who still lives with his parents. The two men couldn't be more dissimilar, Lucas has his life firmly in con- trol while Francois is on the verge of ending it. The essence of the films humor rests in the chemistry that arises between two such exact op- posites. There are endless running jokes contrasting the two, which are rather trite and quickly grow tiring. The rest of the jokes rely on pratfalls and bits of slapstick that only demean the film. There's also a subplot, involving two hitmen after Lucas who is investigating their gambling tycoon boss. The audience is subsequently subjected to frequent fistfights, chases, and machine gunnings that aren't exciting to begin with, and only waste valuable time. Ultimately, neither Lucas, Francois, nor the boy they find are ever explored beyond comic strip traits and idiosyncracies. The bond of mutual love and respect that ties them together at the end of the film has a hollow, virtually unaffecting falseness to it. It ends in an orgy of phony warmth and goodness that would make The Big Chill look like a Bergman movie. Les Compares is a trivial, unsophisticated and im- mediately forgettable film. It's not repulsviely bad, but tiring in its two hours of unamusing vapidity. ivaster mbaster Albert Collins, the master of the telecaster, bends outa bluesy note. Collins will be playing in Ann Arbor on Thursday, June 7 at Rick's American Cafe. Contribute to arts - F YOU HAVE ever eaten at a Irestaurant, seena play or movie, listened to an album or engaged in any other sort of divertissement and wanted to share it with others, the, Daily's Arts section would be pleased to give you the chance. We want competent and skilled critics for the many varied hap penings that Ann Arbor boasts. Writing for the Arts section will provide practice in writing and analysis, and can be an enjoyable ex- tra-curricular activity. Have fun and share it with others, write for Arts-call 763-0379. ANN ARBOR 2 INDIVIDUALTHEA TRES DAILY 1:00 P.M. SHOWS NOW SHOWING: The Funniest French Film since'"La Cage Aux Follesrr. LES COMPERES Starring GERARD DEPARDIEU SUN., 1:20, 3:20, 5:20, 7:30, 9:20 MON.-FRI. 1:00, 7:20, 9:20 DISCOVER A "NEW" 28- YEAR-OLD HITCHCOCK COMEDY! JOHN * SHIRLEY FORSYTHE MacLAINE ALFRI EHITCHCOCK'S THE TROUBE WITH HARRY DAILY 1:00, 7:00, 9:00 Cray band By Richard Campbell W HAT DO A bunch of kids wearing button-down shirts, white trousers, and Etonic running shoes have in common with rhythm and blues? Apparently everything. Robert Cray's Saturday night per- formance at the Blind Pig proved that not only is the blues revival alive and kicking, but that its base of support is wider than ever. The show got off to a slow start in the recently renovated Blind Pig. The large, empty dance floor and the lack of. any appreciable audience made Cray's hard blues sound rather flat. But the remaining sets removed all doubts about Cray's abilities and Ann Arbor's appreciation. Once the evening crowd had settled in, Cray played loud, long, and furiously. The student audience enthusiastically danced to most of the fast tunes and cheered on his frenetic rhythm riffs. But Cray is not an overly emotional performer. Indeed, at times, his guitar blasts blistering blues was more emotionally clear than was his singing. While he never failed to please the Blind Pig crowd, there were moments when he seemed distant. Cray's band, too, contained an odd mix of intense bluesmanship interrup- ted by moments of boredom. On bass, Richard Cousins danced around so much that he obviously would have preferred a larger stage. But when Cousins slowed down during the blistering numbers one wondered who was going to take up the slack. Peter Boe's keyboards meshed effec- tively with the guitar lines through lacked any really imaginative solos. Dave Olson played the drums with abandon, never letting the rhythms slip for a second. The band played a number of originals off of their latest album, Bad Influence. In "Phone Booth," Cray sings a song about love via Ma Bell complete with stage props. While most of the originals and covers were of the relentlessly fast- paced variety, a few slower songs stood out simply by contrast. "Where do I go from Here" was especially noteworthy because of its intensely personal point of view and achingly slow melody. Whatever the band may have lacked in its stage presence, it certainly made up for in style and musical energy. Cray has only two albums to his credit, but years of club playing behind him. It is evident that this already very good blues singer and guitar player can only get better. With any luck, he'll return to this city again and again. RESUMES Professional Resume Service based on nine years of per- sonal consulting. Reasonable rates and fast personal service. Call COLLEEN BAILEY at 1-355-5526 American Resume Consultant Division of APSI.