Ça n'arrive qu'à moi

The beginning promised a good comedy : François Pépin (his surname means "snag"),about to commit suicide by drowning,tells us about his life :always down on his luck,born on the 29th of February (so only a birthday every four years),and a washout professionally;we feel Sacha Guitry's influence ,this director who often would speak to his audience at the beginning of his movies.There the comparison ends.

While there's an occasional good line,the screenplay is predictable,derivative,full of egregious gags;the director/screenwriter even copies himself: like in his earlier "Tete A Claques" an unlucky naive young man meets a girl from a (very) good background ,in a police station!

The rich young kid's daddy (Bernard Bier ,badly directed,who outrageously overplays) is victim of an awful blackmail:he'll die if he does not fork out lots of dollars.The film is mainly an interminable chase ,with an awful spoof on " apocalypse now" ,complete with Wagner music,helicopters and Blier aping Robert Duvall.

"That's only ever happens to me!" (that's the title means):make sure its viewing won't happen to you!