The Chateau (Region 1 Import DVD)

Jesse Peretz follows up his subdued first feature, FIRST LOVE, LAST RITES, with this outrageous comedy, shot on digital video. The story follows brothers Graham (Paul Rudd) and Allen (Romany Malco) Granville as they make their way from America to small-town France. It appears that their mysterious great-uncle has died, bequeathing upon them an enormous chateau. Excited to sell the property and make a healthy profit, the brothers meet unexpected conflict when they arrive. The sullen employees of the chateau--including butler Jean (Didier Flamand) and servant Isabelle (Sylvie Testud)--are not too excited about the prospect of leaving their familiar environment. To make matters worse, they have a hard time comprehending how Graham and Allen could be brothers (an honest confusion, considering Graham is white and Allen is black). As Graham and Allen (who has begun to refer to himself as "Rex") wait impatiently for a buyer, they both try to win over Isabelle, with disastrous results. By the time someone does decide to put their money down, a revealed secret spoils the fun, testing the brothers' conscience once and for all. Working from a loose outline, and relying on the improvisational skills of Rudd and Malco, Peretz's film attains a level of freshness that scripted comedy could never match.