Vincent, a young man who suffers from Tourette's syndrome, has just lost his mother. His father, a successful politician, does not want to take care of him and therefore places him into a mental institution. He is put into a room with Alexander, a guy with a compulsive disorder, and is shown around by Marie, an anorectic girl.
This could be the start of a depressing film with problem-ridden antiheroes, and indeed the three protagonists suffer because of their mental illnesses. Vincent once says to Marie: "I've got a clown in my head who craps between the synapses; you just have to eat something and everything will be fine." However, a very funny road movie starts when Marie manages to steal the key of the tattered car belonging to Dr Rose, the director of the institution, and they drive away, heading to Italy. Of course, Vincent's dad and the director want to bring them back and follow them in Vincent's father's posh car, a shiny black BMW with a lot of oomph.
You can see the two young men struggling with their illnesses, and Alexander even seems to be able to forget about his anxieties. Vincent explains that he can feel his tics coming, but he cannot prevent them. "Can you decide not to sneeze?" When under pressure, he is in the grip of his tics and shouts obscenities. The three young people become friends, and when Vincent's father and the director find them rather soon, they sneak into the BMW and continue their trip.
All along they get into funny situations because they cannot pay at the petrol station or because Vincent flips out, or when you see how Dr Rose and Vincent's father, as different as they can be, have to put their heads together – and that just makes you laugh, but the film is also thought-provoking when Vincent, Alex and Marie talk about their problems, and touching when Vincent's dad tells Dr Rose about Vincent's childhood.
If you expect a sugar-coated happy ending with Marie and Vincent or Dr Rose and Vincent's dad falling in love, all cheerful and without mental problems, merrily reunited, you will be disappointed. However, Vincent's father has not only geographically travelled to find his lost son: he indeed comes mentally closer to him and no longer considers him to be a loser.
If you want to see a film that makes you laugh without your having to stop thinking, go and watch it. It is definitely entertaining and gives you food for thought at the same time.
This could be the start of a depressing film with problem-ridden antiheroes, and indeed the three protagonists suffer because of their mental illnesses. Vincent once says to Marie: "I've got a clown in my head who craps between the synapses; you just have to eat something and everything will be fine." However, a very funny road movie starts when Marie manages to steal the key of the tattered car belonging to Dr Rose, the director of the institution, and they drive away, heading to Italy. Of course, Vincent's dad and the director want to bring them back and follow them in Vincent's father's posh car, a shiny black BMW with a lot of oomph.
You can see the two young men struggling with their illnesses, and Alexander even seems to be able to forget about his anxieties. Vincent explains that he can feel his tics coming, but he cannot prevent them. "Can you decide not to sneeze?" When under pressure, he is in the grip of his tics and shouts obscenities. The three young people become friends, and when Vincent's father and the director find them rather soon, they sneak into the BMW and continue their trip.
All along they get into funny situations because they cannot pay at the petrol station or because Vincent flips out, or when you see how Dr Rose and Vincent's father, as different as they can be, have to put their heads together – and that just makes you laugh, but the film is also thought-provoking when Vincent, Alex and Marie talk about their problems, and touching when Vincent's dad tells Dr Rose about Vincent's childhood.
If you expect a sugar-coated happy ending with Marie and Vincent or Dr Rose and Vincent's dad falling in love, all cheerful and without mental problems, merrily reunited, you will be disappointed. However, Vincent's father has not only geographically travelled to find his lost son: he indeed comes mentally closer to him and no longer considers him to be a loser.
If you want to see a film that makes you laugh without your having to stop thinking, go and watch it. It is definitely entertaining and gives you food for thought at the same time.