Mon Oncle Review

Mon Oncle
In a world of plastics and mechanics, Monsieur Arpel's little boy is delighted by the bad influence of his unemployed, time-abounding uncle, Monsieur Hulot (Tati). His father however is not, and gets Hulot a job in his factory so as to keep a watchful eye on his cheeky shenanigans.

by William Thomas |
Published on
Release Date:

10 May 1958

Running Time:

110 minutes

Certificate:

U

Original Title:

Mon Oncle

A homage to the old and a satire on the new, as Monsieur Hulot, out of a job, takes his otherwise regimented small nephew on fun outings. Point is, the child's father is a designer and manufacturer of hi-tech household items, which he has put into practice in the building of the family home, a futuristic and clinical place in which absolutely everything is operated by the push of a button.

The movie has many treasurable and inspired moments, especially in its lampooning of bourgeois snobbery, and the ideas behind it are brilliant. Its snail's pace and repetitive nature, however, can't help make you feel that it would be a perfect short feature rather than the full-length.

Delightful, but bum-numbingly slow
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