Review of UN ÉTÉ SANS POINT NI COUP SÛR
With Mémoires affectives, Francis Leclerc imposed himself as a new voice in Quebecois cinema. While the quiet metaphysical drama was far from being perfect, it was audacious and original, bringing a much needed breath of fresh air in the monotony of the local production.
For his second feature, Leclerc embraces a popular subgenre, the baseball movie, and follow all its basic rules. The result is a charming little film that has all the right elements, but simply doesn’t stand as anything new. A letdown ? More or less.
Un été sans point ni coup sûr tells the typical « Bad News Bears » story : kid wanna play baseball with the local team, kids gets rejected, kid’s father decides to form a new team with all the neighbourhood’s misifts, kid has a life-formating summer. The film takes place in 1969 : man in walking on the Moon, Montreal has a new baseball team and Quebec’s mentalities are drastically changing. This setting brings an interesting subtext to the movie. Just like in Jean-Marc Vallée’s C.R.A.Z.Y., the reconstitution of the Quiet Revolution, the province’s arrival into modernity, is perfect. The accessories, costumes and sets are crafted with a scientific precision, making the artistic direction one of the film’s most important achievements.
The acting is also strong, especially the young actors who have to deliver forced dialogues but manage to remain natural. All the kids are likeable, making us regret the filmmaker doesn’t spend more time with them. As for the adult casting, they’re good at doing what they always do, remaining themselves. Roy Dupuis plays Roy Dupuis, same for Patrice Robitaille. It works well in the film’s context, but anyone looking for great performances from those local stars will be disappointed.
Which brings us to the movie’s main problem : it should have been more fun. For a baseball film, way too much time is spent outside of the pitch. Sure, the final match is amazing and could be considered as a classic scene in the subgenre, but it’s such a long way to get there. Not that it’s boring to see the characters evolving in a new era for Quebec, but it is something we have seen in other films with better script.
Un été sans point ni coup sûr is a little summer film that delivers less than promised. Anyone looking for something light or an excuse to escape from August’s heat should be pleased by it. If it was an American film, it would be forgotten a month after its release, but because we’re in Quebec and oh so nice towards our own productions, we will probably see this film winning a few Jutras (the province’s Oscars) next year. But hey, that’s the way things work in the Belle Province.
