Poster, Trailer & Cannes Reviews Of Mathieu Amalric’s ‘Tournee (On Tour)’

Here’s the poster of the film, which is very indicative of the plot. Amalric stars as Joachim, a former Parisian television producer that left for America and rounded up burlesque dancers to be in a touring show. Promising a grand tour in France, the group hits a road block when Joachim’s shady friend turns on him and they lose their theater in Paris. Almaric is known for the wonderful “Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” with roles in “Munich,” “Quantam of Solace,” and “A Christmas Tale” also under his belt. This is not the first time Almaric has been behind the camera, as he has done numerous shorts and two features, but “On Tour” is the first of his to be catching a lot of press.

The trailer is posted below, and its obviously NSFW. The film looks to be a light hearted and entertaining piece, it doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously but certain parts feel a little too cheeky. Amalric, almost always playing a character that’s too sure of himself, doesn’t seem to be making any changes here. The rest of the cast is filled with real life burlesque dancers, though there are a few actresses such as Aurelia Petit who was in “The Science of Sleep” and Anne Benoit who was in “Seraphine.”

The film has already shown at Cannes, and here’s a roll out of what some critics think of the film:

David Gritten, briefly writing the one positive mini-review for Telegraph, notes “Tournee is funny, intelligent, sad-eyed — just like Amalric himself.”

The rest of the reviews are not so positive.

Rope of Silicon’s Brad Brevet grades the film a B-, saying “Much of Tournee feels abstract… he does a solid job developing the characters and giving the audience necessary information as to where they come from and where they’re going — if anywhere. However, the abrupt introduction and where the film ends up never makes it feel like a complete picture… the film doesn’t create enough sustainable layers to justify a nearly two hour runtime…”

David Bourgeois of Movieline says “The New Burlesque performers in the film are the real deal… and as such their acting is at best grating and at worst embarrassing. Amalric…seemingly never quite knows where he wants to take the film. We know little of his character, and the burlesque performers never come across as anything more than not-too-bright objets d’art.”

Time Out’s Dave Calhoun gives 2 stars to the film, mentioning that “the writing and (Amalric’s) acting are never convincing enough to make you believe his predicament as a man torn between his past and present and increasingly ill at ease with his place in life.” He mentions that the best scenes are of “the burlesque girls themselves… doing amazing things with giant balloons and nipple tassles and bantering among themselves on trains and in dressing rooms” but claims the rest of the film is “forced and (has) less credible histrionics.”

With most of the press focusing on the ladies themselves trotting around Cannes, and the fact that the reviews aren’t terribly glowing, don’t expect to hear much of this film anymore. There’s always the chance that it will get some solid box office business, and to be honest, all of the exotic dancing and nudity will probably fill a good amount of seats. For those still interested, the trailer is posted below.