MovieChat Forums > Les petits mouchoirs (2010) Discussion > ludo's supposed to be such a great guy, ...

ludo's supposed to be such a great guy, yet what we see of him isn't

posted 13 years ago by Superunknovvn
27 replies | jump to latest

was anyone else irritated by the fact that ludo was supposed this great friend and human being, when the little that we see of him is pretty disgusting: randomly hitting on some young girl, kissing his friends girlfriend, ignoring his friend when he asks why ludo isn't returning his calls, commiting d.u.i, then a pretty unfunny rendition of "hero"... i mean, i realize that he could have been a great guy nonetheless, but it's weird that the movie established him that way, isn't it?

"We learned more from a three minute record than we ever learned in school"

[–] indieke 13 years ago

I not know where you from. French people and acting is a bit different then in America.

First of all, they say in the movie he was always available for his friends, at any moment of the day, even if he was messed up himself, like most of the time.

Messed up, yes! But despite that, attaching, giving his friends a good time and full of life! Funny, crazy.......attaching! That is the kind of character, with all his flaws, that catch people's heart. For the few moments we saw him, Canet succeeded, to make that very clear!

And, he shared with his friends this: LIVE! Do not let your life passes by!

So I cannot agree with you on this statement....

[–] TheSummer2012 13 years ago

I agree with the OP. He did indeed come across as a bit of a d***head. Having said that, I have no issues believing that he was a good bloke and fun to be around.

It was telling though that his friends just left him in the hospital and went on holiday. Would they have done the same if one of the other friends had had an accident?

[–] astat-2 13 years ago

I agree with the OP.

Me too. The part of the plot involving Ludo is most certainly the biggest weakness of this movie.

[–] daimposter 11 years ago

Agreed. Though I think they made all the characters a bit too unlikeable. Sure, everyone has flaws but this movie didn't seem to show their strengths, only their flaws.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 12 years ago

We were left with the impression that he was a party animal and though he was a fun friend he seemed pretty shallow.

my vessel is magnificent and large and huge-ish

[–] e_dash89 12 years ago

I think it depends on how you look at his behaviour (minus the "hero" rendition, that was just a group of friends messing about, and shouldn't be interpreted negatively). If it was evident that the writers thought his behaviour was acceptable then I see how it reflects badly on him.

But the film doesn't defend his actions or ignore them. By the end of the story you get the impression that he was a good friend who was involved with those around him, but was probably depressed- which may help explain the drug usage. As for the way he acted, I'm guessing he was using cocaine, which does kinda explain his behaviour.

[–] PunchB 12 years ago

I agree that he seems to be kind of a douchebag at the beginning. But when you think about we aren't shown anything about how he really is as a friend, or as a human being deep down.

The choice to portray him that way made it hard for you and me to sympathize with him, and to feel in our guts why the other friends thought he was such a great guy. But I guess that's not the case with all people watching. It's partly a cultural difference too. For instance being promiscuous is apparently more accepted in France.

Another thing is that in a way I liked that he wasn't portrayed as some saint, which would have been the easy thing to do to get sympathy and tears from the audience.

[–] poserpro 11 years ago

Jean didn't have much time playing his role Ludo in this movie, so we didn't see enough of Ludo and his personality, simply judging from the few minutes won't justify that. From the funeral and family videos, we saw Ludo's a guy with passion of love and life, French passion so to speak, and hung around with his bodies most of the time, giving emotional support and listen to their miserable lives. This is what he defined himself as a good friend among them.

Ludo doesn't have to be a saint or a hero to be friends' good friend.

[–] LittleFrida 11 years ago

I don´t think so at all and I´m surprised how many in this thread judge about his character by the very short intro before his accident only.

The intro isn´t as important as you might think. It showed him after a long night partying, most likely under alcohol. But much more of importance is to listen when his friends talk about him. They all described him as a very reliable friend that always offered an open ear, even in times where he was struggling himself. They said if anyone needed support he was available at any time and they also described him as someone who encouraged his friends to live a fulfilled life and to do extraordinary things.

As someone already mentioned above I think some people are really not that familiar with french acting and lifestyle. They use to play such characters very vivid and dynamic. To other cultures this might appears as a bit vulgar, passionately kissing someone elses girl for example. But I think what they wanted to show with this rather was his lust for living and his "Just do it" mentality.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (36957384) 11 years ago

I realize the French express themselves differently than Americans do and I try to remember that when I watch their movies but it's so foreign to me that it's sometimes impossible for me to interpret their actions and feelings in movies.

The problem I had with this movie is that I didn't care about any of the characters and subsequently their relationships. Yes, I could see that they had a long history, they had fun together, they fought and they always came back together but I was an unemotional observer. They cried and I felt nothing but I loved the setting and the music.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 11 years ago

So, you didn't laugh either? I ask because that's what connected me with the characters and made me care for them.

I know you probably don't mean it this way but there's something in this that doesn't sit well with me:

I realize the French express themselves differently than Americans do and I try to remember that when I watch their movies but it's so foreign to me that it's sometimes impossible for me to interpret their actions and feelings in movies.

Do people have to express them in an 'American' way for you to understand or connect with them??

To say a little often is to tell more than to say a great deal.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (36957384) 11 years ago

Sorry it doesn't sit well but I'm not going to argue with you.

[–] daimposter 11 years ago

I'm not sure why someone else would take what you said as offensive other than a language barrier? I watch plenty of French movies and I usually can find the protagonist likable but in this movie, they all seem too shallow to like.

PoppyTransfusion himself said the same thing about Ludo that you said about all the characters: "We were left with the impression that he was a party animal and though he was a fun friend he seemed pretty shallow. "

[–] magnoliaspringsal 11 years ago

As a general rule, I would probably roll my eyes at the French-bashers. I watch French movies almost exclusively but have been known to describe them as 'starting in the middle and ninety minutes later, the story has moved little." I do understand the difference in movie styles, French and American.

However, regarding this particular film, I would have a tendency to cross sides and agree with the bashers. I did not enjoy this movie, finding no redeeming qualities in any of the couples and most individuals.

There are plenty of French movies similar to this - there must be a term - where the film is about a number of diverse couples revolving around a central theme. Le code a changé (Change of Plans) comes to mind, or L'heure d'été (Summer Hours) each feature the interaction, not always positive, of couples and individuals.

***Spoiler*** Call me homophobic but the downfall not just of the friendships but of the entire movie was when the one male friend confesses love for his best buddy, a married man.

Even switching the genders around, "I'm in love with your wife", for example, is something that even the French must consider a foolish confession and a definite damper on a group weekend.

Describing the entire nation as 'needing an attitude adjustment' is perhaps a little broad. However when applied to the characters in this movie, may not be too far off the mark.

Separately but related, I have just seen Jean Dujardin in 'Un balcon sur la mer' (A View of Love), in my opinion, a movie and character I found much more enjoyable.

[–] Spellbinder888 11 years ago

No, switching the genders around (as you put it) would be "I'm in love with YOU" - assuming that the older man was a woman (a wife), as you say.

How is switching the genders "I'm in love with your wife"???

The equivalent would be him saying it to a woman......

[–] daimposter 11 years ago

Very well put. I couldn't agree more with your main points. I also found it disturbing that one married man hit on his good friend that is also married and the godfather of his child. Later in the movie, Marie tells Vincent that she had wanted him.....while the wife is there. She was obviously disturbed as she walked away. Granted, that couple was having problems but another woman hitting on your husband is only going to make things worse.

I watch plenty of French movies but they usually have more likable characters than in this movie.

[–] daimposter 11 years ago

Most of the people here have watched plenty of French movies. And among French movies, the characters in this movie are not as likable as characters in other movies. So I don't think it has much to do with it being 'french acting' or 'french lifestyle'....unless all the other French movies we have seen are not representing french lifestyle but this one movie is?

[–] Derrickku 11 years ago

The French need a serious attitude adjustment.

Wow since when is it ok to say that ?

About the movie: the character Ludo, I thought his reckless behavior was more a contrast to the other characters. When the others meet at the hospital we're led to believe that he's the screw up and the others are fine, worried about their friend. At the end it's quite the opposite, Ludo isn't a saint but he was there for the others, at least from what is said about him, every other person in the group was focused on his or her problems.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] 11 years ago

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[–] zolazona 11 years ago

Oh c'mon, haven't any of you had a friend like Ludo in high school or college (or in the military) of whom you enjoyed with affection but worried about him simultaneously? One who was filled with joy and a enormous zeal for life? One because of your long time relationship with resulted in you being extremely loyal to him?

I have and I am an American female. There was no intellectual stuff a going on. It was about friendship.

[–] DendelionBlu 10 years ago

Wow. Somebody gets it

Your reply just made me pretty happy :)

Follow the latest films around the world!! http://7films.dendelionblu.me

[–] sherm456 10 years ago

We were probably just seeing Ludo at his worst. His group of friends didn't seem like pushovers, so I doubt they would have put up with him he was a jerk all the time. He lived life to the fullest, which was invigorating but did not shy away from the negatives.

[–] 11 years ago

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