Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953)

Fate has brought me two immensely peaceful bits of media these last couple of weeks. First, I had a tranquil reading experience with A Psalm for the Wild-Built, and now I have a cinematic balm in the form of Mr. Hulot’s Holiday. This film is an excellent summertime cozy experience, with the idyllic seaside village set as the backdrop for Hulot’s humorous misadventures. Let’s discuss Mr. Hulot’s Holiday!

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The Gist

Mr. Hulot (Jacques Tati, also writer and director) is vacationing at a French seaside village with his fellow travelers. He aims for a peaceful experience, but can’t seem to avoid a litany of hijinks that ensue during his stay.

Check out the trailer here:

MPAA Rating: G

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The Take

At its core, Mr. Hulot's Holiday is a vacation film that takes a comedic look at the antics and quirks of holiday people. Hulot himself seems like an alien on a mission to Earth to understand how humans vacation, with his stilted walk and awkward-yet-polite interactions with everyone he meets. He is a well-meaning man who inevitably makes blunders in each encounter and hilariously becomes the main antagonist to the hotel staff. The concierge, flabbergasted by Hulot's strange demeanor, finds himself making all sorts of blunders and blames Hulot for his errors. The one-sided rivalry is the closest this film gets to having conflict. It's vacation, for goodness sake, so the only conflicts that arise are the ones of your own making.

This story, for as little plot as it contains, is also a commentary on the inevitable chaos of what is meant to be a restful time. In the opening sequence, a group of travelers darts to and from a train platform at the direction of the confused announcer, then the scene cuts to a crowd of loud travelers talking over one another to coordinate their luggage and hotel transfers. There are a few scenes like this, where the tranquility of the seaside town is disrupted by the cacophony of vehicles rolling into town. Once the vacationers settle in, they encounter constant interruptions to their leisure time. One of the main vacationers manages only a few minutes of time with his family before he is called into the hotel to take an important business call. The only difference these days is the convenience of taking these calls on a cell phone; the nature of the traveler remains the same even today. It made me self- conscious about being a traveler, this noisy interloper to a peaceful beach who overcomplicates the simplicity of leisure. But there are more wholesome moments as well, a favorite of mine being a scene of a tiny child with two tiny ice creams in his hands, navigating a giant staircase with such care in order to bring a cone to his brother.

I was initially concerned that, this film being entirely in French and Max not showing an option for subtitles, I would not have a fulfilling experience watching the movie. I was quickly relieved when I saw subtitles were already embedded in the film, and later realized the foolishness of my concern, because the humor in this film is not dependent on the dialogue. The jokes are primarily visual in nature, stemming from Hulot's earnest mishaps and his obliviousness to his awkwardness. His car is constantly breaking down, leading him to accidentally participate in a memorial service and nearly have his legs flattened by a bus. And though nothing of substance really happens throughout the story, the experience is entirely fulfilling. This was my first experience with a French film, and I was pleasantly surprised that its lack of plot and non-Americanized characters were endearing as well as relatable.

One of the things I enjoy about watching classic films is realizing the ways in which these films influenced later ones. Mr. Hulot’s awkwardness is so reminiscent of Mr. Bean – the name is even similarly arranged – that I’m loath to believe the latter wasn’t inspired by the former. I also felt Wes Anderson’s spirit in the film through the camera staging and deadpan character discomfort, knowing full well Mr. Hulot’s Holiday predates his work by half a century. But then this film also had notes of its own inspiration, like the minor character of Denis, the child who causes all sorts of mischief on the beach, who you could call a “Menace” like his comic strip counterpart. It’s all a reminder that art begets art begets art, and we are all the better for it.

As I mentioned before, there really isn't a plot; just like vacation, you can plan for a few activities, but mostly you're just there to see where the day takes you. It's also the type of experience where you expect no one to be terribly injured or impossibly embarrassed. Hulot, though he unintentionally interrupts the leisure of his fellow boarders, ends up bringing as much joy to those around him as he does annoyance. Mr. Hulot's Holiday is a holiday from the complicated characters and dramatic storylines that are the bread and butter of the film world. I encourage you to take in a holiday with Mr. Hulot and see where the day may take you.

Rating: 8/10

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Memorable Moments

• Every landscape shot spoke directly to the traveler in my soul.

• The dog laying in the middle of the road is the epitome of vacationcore.

• I loved the ongoing sight gag with the taffy pull.

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Try It If...

• You want a chill movie experience.

• You enjoy wholesome comedy.

• You dream of a seaside vacation but can’t swing a flight to France.

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Avoid It If...

• You require a strong plot.

• You cannot pay attention to foreign language films.

• Your sense of comedy does not lean toward the slapstick variety.

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Mr. Hulot’s Holiday is available to stream on Max.