Opening 16 Oct 2008
Directed by:
Pierre-Paul Renders
Writing credits:
Denis Lapière, Pierre-Paul Renders
Principal actors:
Khalid Maadour, Caroline Dhavernas, Chantal Lauby, Gilbert Melki, Thierry Lhermitte
Mr. Average is not only a spoof on advertising, media and politics but a light romantic story as well. Pleasantly plump Jalil (Khalid Maadour) lives a quiet life teaching nursery school in Paris until he appears on the TV quiz show Mr. Average. Contestants are asked questions and must guess which answers the average French citizen would give. Jalil consistently guesses correctly and becomes the big winner. Unknowingly, he also becomes the target of a marketing company which realizes they could use him as a guinea pig. They wire his apartment with microphones and cameras and plant undercover girlfriend Claire (Caroline Dhavernas from Canada) in order to find out his preferences for food, clothes, you name it. The things Jalil loves most become the biggest hits on the French market.
However, as the relationship between the young couple progresses, Claire struggles with the immoral role she is playing. She finally tells him the whole truth and leaves. Jalil figures out how to take advantage of his having been spied on, turns the table and starts up his own marketing agency. Fast forward: Things change once more when Jalil and Claire find each other again.
Some sequences of the film were really quite entertaining, but it’s not a must see unless you are researching French films. (Thelma Freedman)
