The rules of the art: a scam (really) like no other (critic)
A charming satiric-policose comedy inspired by the real burglary of a Parisian museum, with Melvil Poupaud and Sofiane Zermani in apprentice thieves.
It was the outsider of the last Alpe d’Huez festival (which he left with the special jury prize): not quite a comedy, not exactly a drama or a thriller, The rules of the art Make a bad pleasure of navigating between genres. Inspired by the real burglary of the Museum of Modern Art in Paris in 2010, Dominique Baumard’s film features Yonathan, expert in luxury watches in the monotone daily (Melvil Poupaud), who meets a receiver and crooked with mad charisma (Sofiane Zermani). Charmed by the Bagou of this man and attracted by easy money, Yonathan finds himself embedded, a little despite himself, in a case of theft of tables of masters.
Crazy story that takes up the main lines of the real news item, and that Baumard treats in a satirical tone through the character of Yonathan, a useful idiot realizing that he needs more than his well -ordered little life. Melvil Poupaud excels in this role of pigeon in search of adrenaline and chaos, on the thread between touching and ridiculous. Sofiane Zermani takes care of the rhythm of the film, ensuring that each scene where he appears will be raised by his energy and his faconde.
The rules of the art could have pushed the cursors of comedy without too much effort, but chooses to favor a certain form of elegance to humor. A rather clever angle to tell the latent madness ready to spring from each of us, as long as our moral compass no longer indicates quite the north.
Of Dominique Baumard. With Melvil Poupaud, Sofiane Zermani, Julia Piaton… Duration 1 h 34. Released April 30, 2025
