Borrowing inspiration or remaking films from foreign cinema has always been a gamble for directors in Hollywood. Most remakes, especially comedies, are unable to recreate the same magic as the original films. However, there are some movies that are able to buck that trend and transcend boundaries, proving that cinema has, indeed, a universal language.
Most of us have heard about the upcoming movie The Upside (in theatres January 2019), a remake of the popular French comedy Les Intouchables (2012). The movie, featuring Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston, revolves around the relationship between a rich white quadriplegic and his African-American caretaker. As we near the release of this much anticipated version, let us go back in time and review 10 other such great comedic remakes in Hollywood.
10. My Sassy Girl (2008)
A series of real life blog posts that were adapted to a novel, turned into a Korean romantic comedy and in turn, inspired a Hollywood film. This is the story of My Sassy Girl. The original blog posts that inspired the movie are about Kim Ho Sik describing his relationship with his girlfriend. The Korean version My Sassy Girl (2001) was a resounding success. The Hollywood version, however, did not do as well.
The remake follows the story of conservative Midwesterner (played by Jesse Bradford) falling for a wealthy wild child (Elisha Cuthbert).
The blog posts, the original movie, and the Hollywood remake make a great concoction. It is highly suggested to read the blog posts before you watch the movie.
Original Blog post (translated English version) http://my-sassy-jihyun.blogspot.com/
9.No Reservations (2007)
A romantic comedy set in the kitchen where the protagonist, Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a head chef becomes the guardian of her niece, Zoe. No Reservations is directly inspired from the German movie Mostly Martha (2001). Nick (Aaron Eckhart) joins the cooking staff and wants to work under Kate. They are competitive, but ultimately they realize they need each other. Love blossoms, and a new family is born.
Apart from the ending, the Hollywood movie follows the same pattern as the original. The original’s ending takes an unexpected twist, making it more believable.
8. Dinner for Schmucks (2010)
What happens when an elaborate prank goes miserably wrong? In Dinner for Schmucks, an eager businessman, Tim (Paul Rudd) tries to impress his soulless corporate superiors by winning a contest they hold to find the biggest idiot to bring to a dinner party. Rudd finds the perfect foil in Barry Speck (played by Steve Carell), a lonely IRS agent who makes dioramas out of dead mice.
A remake of the French comedy Le diner de cons (1998), Dinner for Schmucks follows how Barry Speck proceeds to systematically but unintentionally ruin Tim’s life. Even though not as efficiently as the original, the remake is able to provide some great laughs and performances from Paul Rudd and Steve Carell.
7. Down and out in Beverly Hills (1986)
Although not an exact remake, this Paul Mazursky film heavily borrows inspiration from Jean Renoir’s 1936 classic ‘Boudo Saved from Drowning’ or Boudu Sauve des Eaux.
The movie tells the story of a rich family, The Whitemans (Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midler), living in a Beverly Hills mansion. One day a bum (Nick Nolte) wanders down the alley into their backyard and tries to drown himself in their swimming pool. After he is saved by Dryefuss’ character, he changes the family members’ lives forever.
6. Shall We Dance (2004)
This American film is a remake of a 1996 Japanese film Sharu wi Dansu. With a star-studded cast, this romantic comedy performed very well at the box-office, grossing over $57 million in domestic collections and $170 million worldwide.
Richard Gere plays a happily married yet dissatisfied estate lawyer, who decides to take ballroom dance classes because of his attraction to one of the instructors (Jennifer Lopez) and hides his newly found hobby from his wife (Susan Sarandon). The movie follows the journey of Gere’s character finding a new passion for dance and happiness in unexpected places.
5. The Birdcage (1996)
The Birdcage was adapted from Jean Poiret’s 1978 French movie La Cage aux Folles, based on a play that was also adapted into a Tony-winning musical.
Robin Williams and Nathan Lane play a gay couple, who pretend to be straight so that their son can introduce them to the parents of his fiancée. The father of the fiancée, played by Gene Hackman, is a right-wing US Senator and co-founder of the Committee for Moral Order. As you can imagine, what follows is comic pandemonium!
This political satire, for its time, follows the script of "La Cage Aux Folles" quite closely, aside from a few amendments to accommodate the cultural, geographic and chronological transfers. The movie grossed over $124 million in domestic receipts and over $185 million worldwide.
4. Three Men and a Baby (1987)
With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 74% this remake of the French film Trois Hommes Et Un Couffin (1985), was a smashing box-office hit and was the highest grossing film of 1987. On a production budget of only $11 million, the movie grossed $167 million in US box office alone. This classic Hollywood comedy may also have a modern reboot down the line.
The movie follows the mishaps and adventures of three bachelors (played by Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson) as they attempt to adapt their lives to take care of a baby left on their doorstep by a young lady. The juxtaposition of pseudo-fatherhood and the playboy lifestyle of three bachelors provides the perfect recipe for comedy.
There are some differences between the original French movie and the American remake, primarily owing to the differences between the two cultures during those times. The movie is by far the most successful Hollywood adaptation of a French film.
3. Scent of a woman (1992)
Often classified as a comedy drama, Scent of a Woman delivered four Oscar nominations and an Oscar win for Best Actor in a leading role for Al Pacino. This movie is primarily driven by the powerful performances of Al Pacino and a young Chris O’Donnell (who received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor).
The film is inspired by the Italian film Profumo di donna (1974), directed by Dino Risi and starring Vittorio Gassman in the role played by Al Pacino. Both Risi and Gassman won important Italian and French film awards for the film.
In Scent of a Woman, Pacino plays a bitter, angry, depressed, and blind Lt. Col. Frank Slade while O’Donnell is a prep school student who is tasked to take care of him over a Thanksgiving weekend. The film follows the mismatched pair over the course of the weekend, as they learn about life through their series of adventures.
And of course if you haven’t seen the famous Tango scene, here’s another look at it!
2. Some Like it Hot (1959)
This Marilyn Monroe starrer black and white film has been argued as the greatest Hollywood comedy ever made. A remake of the German film Fanfaren Der Liebe (1951) - which itself was a remake of a 1935 French film Fanfare d'Amour, Some Like it Hot has leading performances from Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe.
The movie is about two 1920s musicians, on the run from murderous Chicago mobsters, who disguise themselves as women and join an all-girl band. Both men are to be captivated by the sexy and lonely blonde lead singer of the band. Sex is what Some Like It Hot is all about, both overtly and in-between the lines. Reversed sex roles, entangled and secret identities, and cross-dressing are all part of the movie, but never coming off as crude.
The movie won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Black and White, and five other nominations. The movie also bagged three Golden Globe wins. The movie is touted as one of the first movies to include the LGBTQ community and is considered to have challenged gender norms and censorship rules of the era.
“Well nobody’s perfect”, one of the most memorable final lines in a film. Click here to watch the clip
1. The Parent Trap (1961)
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While most people remember the 1998 remake, starring Lindsay Lohan, of this classic Hollywood film but not a lot know that the original Parent Trap was a Disney remake of three previously produced German, Japanese and British films – Das doppelte Lottchen (1950), Hibari no komoriuta (1951), and Twice Upon a Time (1953). These movies were based on a 1949 German novel by Erich Kastner named Das doppelte Lottchen.
The original movie, starring Hayley Mills, was a resounding success inspiring three sequel television movies and a remake in 1998. The story revolves around two identical twins who try to reunite their parents after fourteen years of estrangement. The two girls know nothing of each other until they meet one day at a summer camp. They switch identities to meet the mother and father they never knew since they were separated many years ago.