For some unknown reason, French director Alexandre Coffre’s farcical road trip movie Eyjafjallajökull has been anglicised to The Volcano, which is a bit of a shame as it’s a perfectly effective, scene-setting moniker that throws you right back into the midst of the ash cloud chaos caused by the Icelandic eruption of 2010 that grounded so many planes and wreaked havoc for travellers worldwide.

Far from a serious take on the resultant travails, Coffre has employed the powerhouse that is French funny man extraordinaire Dany Boon, who in turn was the writer/director/star of mega hit Welcome To The Sticks. Here the great wit sticks to a starring role as Alain, opposite the also fine comic actor Valérie Bonneton as, unimaginatively, Valérie.

They play a divorced couple harbouring animosity against the other in spades. When the said volcanic eruption prevents them from flying to Greece for the wedding of their daughter Cecile (Bérangère McNeese). Buggered if they’re going to team up, instead engaging in all out war trying to simultaneously get themselves to the chapel while ensuring the other is a no show. What follows is a sort of Battle Royale version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, with increasingly ludicrous but highly entertaining set pieces, from the unfortunate demise of a sleek Porsche, to a truck driving, crossbow-toting religious fundamentalist in a Grand Central’s Denis Ménochet. With boats, planes and a stolen police car, it’s a hoot.

There’s a bit of gender stereotyping at play here, with Coffre’s screenplay, aided by Laurent Zeitoun and Yoann Gromb, excessively exaggerating Valérie’s maniacal meanness, but, in fairness, she’s shown to be considerably brighter too, and ultimately there’s a predictable softening in the final act that allows for a timely touch of the warm and fuzzies. The cinematography by Pierre Cottererau (Café de Flore) is quite delicious, and Bonneton’s every bit the match for Boon in terms of her comic delivery. If you go in expecting a good dose of silly fun that looks good without boasting any major smarts, you may just find yourself erupting in laughter.

This article apprears courtesy of thelowdownunder.