Mon Oncle

Mon Oncle (1958)

Directed by Jacque Tati

I have recently seen many movies that concentrate on the alienating, mechanized life that results from modernization and suburbanization. Tati's film Mon Oncle takes a refreshingly playful look at this issue by following a rather eccentric character named Monsieur Hulot - who is played by Tati himself - and his dealings with his sister's family. While she stays at home perfecting the already perfectly arranged modernist home, her husband - the "master," as she calls him - spends his day at work as the director of a hose-producing company.


Hulot, being a natural clutz, simply doesn't fit into a world that demands absolute perfection and conformity on all levels. His young nephew, however, relates to him and, tired of his high maintenance parents, often wander the fringes - that is, the actual streets and marketplaces outside of the suburbs - of French society with his uncle. The film has a very light and humorous air to it; it is as if the film is told from the easily-distracted perspective of Hulot.

The modernist sets are a joy to look at and they effectively communicate why people would both love and hate living in such a cushioned environment. And even if the film does run on longer than it should, it is still a joy to see Hulot haplessly running about his world like Charlie Chaplain in Modern Times while his sister and brother-in-law, still failing to comprehend the stifling aspects of their lifestyle, look on with contempt.

Rating: 8.5

First Viewed: 5/10/08
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