M. Hulot's Holiday

Stefan Drees

The laconic humuor of this film makes Tati's work timeless. Also his work with sounds and language is remarkable: The real means to tell the story are the carefully arranged sounds - the whole film is a sound collage. In contrast the first real spoken words are uttered after 11 minutes, but the people mostly use formulas of everyday communication without real content.

Alexander Dunkelberger

This feels much like Tati’s first film, in its overriding feeling of serenity. It’s good to have breaks from all the dark and violence and just have a nice day at the beach. The whole film feels like breathing fresh air and feeling sunlight, and for a while not having to worry about everything and just lie back and relax. It gives off a radiance of happiness, humor, and good feeling.

Slowart

on the idyllic beaches of saint-nazaire (former WWII submarine base turned into a seaside resort - bitter aftertaste) tati's overgrown don quijote provokes the conservative maritime society with his involuntary offensive featuring loud jazz, fireworks, etc.

Ciprian David

My first Tati, thanks to my girlfriends father, who is a big fan. Overwhelmed by the precision with which shots are organised. Contrasting realistic settings, in which people appear far more artificial than object. Systems of conventions of social interaction falling apart because of tiny malfunctions.

Dave

Like all the great Tati films, not necessarily laugh out loud funny, but the kind of humor that leaves a smile on your face the whole way through. Sublime.

saitosouta

3.5 This idyllic world, which' s constructed by an optimistic perfectionist's persnickety thoroughness, is full of guileless and ludicrous laughs, whereas, behind it, there is unearthly fastidiousness and ginormous megalomania, tranquilly bursting in cozy sunlight. His aberrant madness for completion of laugh makes me flabbergasted but not for me because it's too sketchy to weave a coherent story.

Richmond Hill

Charmingly benign, if elongated, sequence of sight gags which stands or falls with M.Hulot. It stands, but is perhaps too languorous to elicit outright laughter just inward nods and appreciation at the invention and skill of the enterprise; but a sequence not a whole it remains.

Phil Worfel

I finally got on the same wavelength as Tati. It took me a while. Really didn't understand what the fuss was about at all until it just plain suddenly clicked. Light, sweet, nostalgic, tender and charming. It's not funny the way Chaplin and Keaton are funny but somehow it just makes me feel good. For those having a hard time getting into this, I'd recommend reading Ebert's Great Movies essay on the film.