User reviews

I enjoyed this film. I'm not French but I get the humor. It's really funny the way Jean-Louis, Valerie and Michel conspire to obtain a non-digital photo of Jean-Louis' "origin." And dear Brigitte's unintended revelations are the piece de resistance. Surely, Helene Vincent is the darling of the show.

This film is an example of comedy as fine art.

I see some people were offended by some humoristic scenes. Honestly I don'tsee the big problem with those scenes. I thought they were funny and luckily we had those scenes in this movie. Actually the movie starts okay, with sometimes acting that could have been better, but it was not all that thrilling to watch, until those scenes came along and brought the comedy I was waiting for. I guess some people are easily shocked, but keep in mind this is only a movie, nobody got hurt. L'Origine Du Monde (or Dear Mother for the English title) is a funny French movie that is worth watching, that is if you're not too stuck up..

I am french and already convinced by the selected actors of this movie. Discovering Laurent Lafitte as a movie maker and this is a success. The storie of this movie is surprising the audience until the end. Now i'm waiting for your second movie, Mr Lafitte!

I had to stop the movie halfway. I did laugh one time in the first 50min of the movie, but the scene where they try to take a picture is atrocious. It is not funny at all and is pure elderly abuse. It was horrible to watch. I can't imagine people considering this as funny. Trying to force someone who is screaming and saying no is just not funny. It is abuse.

I think it is a French attempt at "cringe comedy". Good actors and wonderful dialogues. First half of the movie, I laughed out loud, chuckled, really enjoyed it. But "cringe humour" is a difficult thing. I love Judd Apatow productions but he does know where to draw a line. The writers of this movie did not know where that fine line is. The movie starts getting into embarrassing, situations become more and more outlandish, completely unbelievable and... Everything good - and it has lots of good - was spoiled through uncontrolled, disgusting, base jokes.

Someone else here said only the French can do this and I totally concur .... maybe the Spanish could make this film in 2020 but all other nations I can think of would be too shy too reserved too uncomfortable to go there ....

It is an hilarious piece which contains or subsumes a lot of Freud a lot of psychotherapy some New-Age elements too and wraps it all up in a bawdy comedic piece in a slow deliberate fashion. We see it is entirely the creation of Laurent Lafitte from The Comédie Française; a register of highly-skilled actors; in which he is the main character/actor. The other 3 or 4 significant players here are also very good

Enjoy it ... it will test a lot of folks who believe they are francophiles .... but is worth the journey .... a solid 9 for me.

The most boring and embarrassing movie I've ever seen. In addition to being boring and lacking in rhythm, it has stupid script solutions and some unlikely character reactions. An interesting idea turned into one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

The film revolves around an unlikely and fantastic scenario, which is the pretext to explore the dynamics of a failing, sexless, childless and unlikeable bourgeois couple. The relationship to the man's mother is explored in way too much details and everything that happens can be interpreted as an unresolved Oedipus complex, which is the overwhelming, simplistic default explanation when men talk about their mother in french cinema.

Not a single character is likeable in this intensely misognistic comedy. If find it utterly repulsive, uncouth and definitely unfunny. It gets worse as the film progresses. I kept watching in the hope of a meaninful twist at the end, but there were none. It was like a slowly evolving disaster.

This was originally a play, where the distance between the audiance and the cast is totally different. In this film, everything is in your face and nothing is spared to the viewer.

Totally not recommended, even though the performances and the production values are pretty good.

I'm writing this review to warn people who were victims of abuse or a s*xual assault that this movie might trigger you. The movie is advertised as a comedy but not everyone will be able to enjoy it. The story starts well but when we get to the scenes with the main character's elderly mother, this is when the movie stopped being funny to me and was really painful to watch. So if you're looking for a movie to have a nice evening with a few laughs, you might want to avoid this one. And I understand that everyone has a different sense of humour but there are some topics that certain people will never be able to laugh about. I wish I was informed of the nature of the movie before I watched it.

An adaptation of an apparently very well known play which was inspired by the famous painting of the same name, this is now on Netflix but I hope that doesn't potentially put anyone off, and I think they just bought the distribution rights anyway. It centres around how fortysomething lawyer Jean-Louis one day notices that his heart has stopped beating, and after consulting a vet friend and speaking to his wife's lifestyle guru Margaux, he believes he has three days to either see or take a picture of his elderly mother's vagina or he will die.

Despite the fantastical set up it's grounded in reality, as it mixes farce with a hint of comedy of manners and makes a fair few observations about the lives of these individuals, and it plays out perfectly, this is one of the funniest films I've seen in a long time. In a very slight, minor way, it occasionally reminded me of a French version of Seinfeld, albeit without a Kramer type figure, and not just because one of the characters looks a little George-esque, and that's meant as a compliment of the highest order too as the three main leads do their very best to carry out the ridiculous plans they devise.

It's best watched going in knowing as little as possible so I'd avoid the trailer, and I really think this is an absolute must see, I know that my overhyping it might lead to high expectations but I'd be very surprised if this doesn't make it in to my Top 10 favourite films of the year come the end of December.

After a reasonably good start Mr Laffitte, excellent actor falls into a pit of shameful disgrace. Atrocious manipulation of an elderly woman, ugly nudes scenes, mediocrity at its worst.

Netflix has a gift to turn excellent actors in a turmoil of vulgarity. I HATE THEM.

As i have literally nothing to add to this disastrous junk to reach the (stupid) 600 characters limit I just repeat my statement.

After a reasonably good start Mr Laffitte, excellent actor falls into a pit of shameful disgrace. Atrocious manipulation of an elderly woman, ugly nudes scenes, mediocrity at its worst.

Netflix has a gift to turn excellent actors in a turmoil of vulgarity. I HATE THEM.

Tired of comedies with similar storyline ?

Well, you will be in for a refreshing treat with this French comedy!

Careful, though, as it is VERY different !!!

Great casting.

Ce premier film est caustique à souhait. Une réalisation carrée, des dialogues ciselés et des acteurs irrésistibles .... j'adore même si l'ensemble est complètement barré.

A refreshingly funny film that deals with both slapstick and existential questions, with superb acting all around. Forget Hollywood for a moment and enjoy this French pastry. The title of the film comes from a very famous erotic painting from the Victorian era.

Insane. Some uncomfortable - very uncomfortable - moments. Also, some dull sections. But some screamingly funny moments. But, as in most good works, the desire to find out what ultimately happens keeps you watching (or reading, in the case of books). Definitely the case here (imho). The subtitle of this movie (or perhaps the original title in French?) is "The Origin of the World", a famous painting by Courbet, which pretty much describes the issue that the film is about. Not 10 stars because it's fundamentally absurd (and there were some slow moments).

My husband and I laughed a lot watching the movie. And I recommend this movie if you like non-traditional movies. The story is surprising and unusual.

The film is a surreal comedy, especially funny, with a lot of humor and satire. The script is very well written, the lines are full of verve, vivid and colorful. There may be times when you laugh with tears, if you have a sense of humor and you are not a grumpy man, very modest and easy to offend.

The actors fit in well, play very naturally and voluntarily even in the so-called awkward moments.

The film is provocative, breaks a lot of taboos, raises awkward questions about a man's critical age, marital relationships, holistic solutions, and the Oedipus Complex (the controversial subject of Freud's theory of psychosexual development).

In conclusion, I consider the film very funny, with a sharp humor, without anything dirty or ugly. If you are not overwhelmed by modesty and prejudice, watch it and fill yourself with good mood!

As others here have said, only the French could make this movie, but not just because of the storyline, but because of the total farcical nature of it. There were many laugh out loud moments in this film, but there were also many cringey moments, and some scenes (involving the elderly mother) I wondered what the writer/director was thinking. In this day and age, understanding and portraying the concept of consent is so important and overdue, including a character who, when they haven't gained consent, then having to deal with the consequences of their actions. This didn't happen in this movie. Confused? Watch it and you'll see what I, and others, are talking about. That being said, it's really funny, but I'm conflicted by some parts of it.

Brilliant, amazing, show stopping, totally unique. Laurent LaFitte is an excellent actor, and his directorial debut, is just marvelous to watch. I will not directly explain the movie because there are still people who didn't have the opportunity to watch it. It's a movie that will make anyone think about many of the most important aspects of life, it goes into very deep scenarios, and it made me remember the favorite saying of one of my friends, Silence Is Golden. I truly did enjoy this movie, I have had a wonderul time watching it, even if actually this isn't a comedy film. I would call it a psychological drama, with a great touch of black comedy. The other actors also made a wonderful job. I really recommend this film!