MONSIEUR PARIZOT (TF1)

Christian Parizot (Patrick Paroux) is the most popular character of French private channel TF1's hit Camping Paradis. Now the camper becomes an amateur sleuth in Monsieur Parizot.

 

This 2 x 45-minute pilot is a welcome addition to TF1's crime/comedy line-up.

 

The bottom line: Les petits meurtres de Monsieur Parizot.

 

Aired since 2006, Camping Paradis is produced by Jean Luc Azoulay's JLA Productions with TF1. This comedy series was created by Michel Alexandre, Ludovic Pion-Dumas & Anne Badel. It is centered on the everyday life and problems of Tom Delormes (Laurent Ournac), who runs a campsite in the south of France, and his team. The extraordinary Patrick Paroux (Around the world in 80 days, Amelie) plays the grouchy Christian Parizot, the most faithful client of the Camping Paradis where he has been going every summer for 35 years. Parizot first appeared in the fourth episode, written by Jérôme Michaud-Larivière and Thomas Perrier, as "M. Parizot".

 

Monsieur Parizot takes Patrick Paroux to Colmar, where Christian Parizot lives. This retiree divides his time between watching detective dramas with the eye of an expert (he read all Agatha Christie three times!) and amateur cycling, his great passion. One day, his cycling companion dies in an apparent accident before joining him. Christian immediately notices very specific details that make him suspect a murder. Lieutenant Alexandra Bauer, of the Gendarmerie, decides to investigate against her hierarchy. As the wealthy family of his friend wants to meet Parizot, Bauer prompts him to accept the invitation.

« Non mais dites donc, j'suis pas à vos ordres! Qu'est-ce que j'irais faire au milieu d'un panier de crabes de nobles alsaciens? »

Directed by Camping Paradis' regular helmer Nicolas Copin, Monsieur Parizot was penned by Laurent Mondy. Frequent writer of Camping Paradis, the latter is the creator of another production from JLA: Magellan (Commissaire Magellan, 2009-2021). Parizot watches an episode of the much-missed mystery drama (1) written by Mondy and complains about "ces tocards de scénaristes"... right before jumping into the tropes of Commissaire Magellan. It's quite enjoyable to watch Patrick Paroux as a comedy Poirot version of the beloved Camping Paradis character. Parizot drives an old Peugeot 405 and wears plaid sweaters over his famous floral shirts. He likes to ride his bike or smoke a pipe to think things through.

 

Of course, there are charming references to Camping Paradis. Lieutenant Bauer, Parizot's "Watson", is played by Clémence Lassalas (Demain nous appartient). Philippe Caroit (Perfect Murders, Borderland) guest stars as Jean-Dominique de Saint-Ulrich. The other actors of this "petit meurtre en famille" are Carole Richert (Astrid de Saint Ulrich), Firmine Richard (Josiane Kopp), Olivier Sitruk (Sainclair Vandeuil), Piérick Tournier (Vianney de Saint Ulrich), Sören Prévost (Hans), Diane Dassigny (Plus belle la vie, encore plus belle) as Faustine de Saint Ulrich, Charlie Joirkin (Jennifer Maillard), Charlotte Lacoste (Camille de Saint Ulrich), Bruno Dreyfürst (Captain Brunet) and Houaria Kaidari (Maître Klein).

 

Produced by JLA Productions and TF1 with the participation of RTL-TVI and RTS Radio Télévision Suisse. Made with the support of Région Grand Est, Colmar Agglomération (Réseau Plato) and Bureau des images Grand Est. Olivier Guedj exec produces. Produced by Richard Berkowitz and Mathieu Delarive. Emmanuel Libermann is the production manager. Music by Frédéric Porte (Camping Paradis, Magellan). Cinematography by Olivier Guarguir. Editing by Jean-Luc Thomas. Filmed between November and December 2023 in Alsace, Monsieur Parizot aired in Switzerland and Belgium this month but not yet in France.

(1) Première Ballerine, directed by Étienne Dhaene.

 

https://www.nicocopin.com/

CAMPING PARADIS - S11E05: MA VIE EST BELLE (TF1)

Launched in 2006, Camping Paradis was created by Michel Alexandre, Ludovic Pion-Dumas & Anne Badel. 

Produced by JLA Productions with TF1, this comedy series is centered on the everyday life and problems of Tom Delormes, the owner of the Camping Paradis, and his team.

The regular cast members of Camping Paradis since its start are Laurent Ournac (Tom Delormes), Thierry Heckendorn (André Durieux) and Patrick Guérineau (Xavier Proteau). Humorist Candiie plays Audrey Dukor since season 8. Patrick Paroux (Around the world in 80 days, Amelie) recurs as Christian Parizot, the most faithful client of the campsite. In 2017, Camping Paradis celebrated its 50th episode and left the 90-minute format for the same 2 x 52-minute as TF1's long-running comedy/drama Joséphine, ange gardien. The characters of the two hits met two years ago in an episode of each series. 

Ma vie est belle is the third episode of Camping Paradis directed by Laurent Ournac. It was penned by Laurent Mondy (Le prix de la loyauté, Commissaire Magellan), who wrote several other episodes and co-wrote the Camping Paradis side of the crossover. The title is a nod to La vie est belle, the French title of It's a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946). The friends of Tom Delormes want to celebrate his 35th birthday but Tom is depressed because of his life at the Camping Paradis. An encounter with a wasp sends him in the office of an angel who looks like Monsieur Parizot.

The celestial being shows Delormes what would have been his life if he had married the love of his youth, if he had two teenage children, if he were a rich campsite franchise owner and if his sister Elsa managed the place. Ma vie est belle is a fun and often hilarious exercice de style with a welcome touch of self-parody. Patrick Paroux shows once again his brilliance, particularly when one of those irritating drone shots (so used by French contemporary television fiction) ends badly for the drone.

The guest cast includes notable performances by Mathieu Coniglio and Gaëlle Gauthier as different characters in each of Tom's alternate lives and by Bartholomew Boutellis as the guru-esque Zacharie. Also with Barbara Probst (Elsa), Esther Valding (Zoé), Clarisse Lhoni-Botte (Christelle), Charlotte Boillot (Campeuse gym), Sarah Brooks (Jeune campeuse inspectrice), etc. Produced by Jean-Luc Azoulay and Richard Berkowitz. Bernard Paccalet exec produces. Alain Bucaille is the production manager.

Produced with the participation of RTL-TVI and RTS Radio Télévision Suisse. Music by Frédéric Porte. Main title song composed by Sébastien Lipszyc, Emmanuel Lipszyc and Franck Lascombes. Cinematography by Olivier Guarguir. François Salisch is the production designer. Costumes by Nathalie de Belleval. Sandrine Diot is the artistic coordinator. Main title sequence by Cinespi. Distributed by TF1 Studio.

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/09/camping-paradis-un-ange-gardien-au.html (Camping Paradis: Un ange gardien au camping)
https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/03/josephine-ange-gardien-trois-campeurs.html (Joséphine, ange gardien: Trois campeurs et un mariage)

CAMPING PARADIS - S10E06: CETTE ANNÉE-LÀ (TF1)

Tom Delormes, who owns the Camping Paradis, travels back in time to the year 1976.

The bottom line: Tom, ange gardien.

Launched in 2006, Camping Paradis was created by Michel Alexandre, Ludovic Pion-Dumas & Anne Badel. Produced by JLA Productions with TF1, this comedy series is centered on the everyday life and problems of Tom Delormes, a campsite owner, and his team. Regular cast members since the beginning are Laurent Ournac (Tom), Thierry Heckendorn (André Durieux) and Patrick Guérineau (Xavier Proteau). Humorist Candiie plays Audrey Dukor since season 8. Patrick Paroux (Around the world in 80 days, Amelie) recurs as Christian Parizot, the most faithful client of the Camping Paradis. 

In 2017, Camping Paradis celebrated its 50th episode and left the 90-minute format for the same 2 x 52-minute as TF1's long-running comedy/drama Joséphine, ange gardien. The characters of the two hits of the channel met last year in an episode of each series. Cette année-là is the second episode of Camping Paradis directed by Laurent Ournac. It was penned by Laurent Mondy (Le prix de la loyauté, Commissaire Magellan), who wrote several other episodes and co-wrote its side of the crossover. 

Tom Delormes considers selling the campsite, which André doesn't approve. He's about to meet the buyers when he accidentally bumps his head and faints. When Tom awakes, the Camping Paradis looks a bit different: France is struck by a heat wave, Jacques Chirac is Prime Minister (not for long) and Claude François sings Cette année-là. Delormes tries to use his cell phone but he can't because he's now in July 1976! The camping is called Chez Patrick ("C'est magnifique!") and it belongs to Patrick Delormes, Tom's father.

Patrick wants to sell his property to banker Aymeric Flambrin but the latter needs Marie Tourvel, his accountant, to audit Chez Patrick before the transaction. Marie happens to be the future mother of Tom Delormes. Tom tries to tell a much younger André Durieux what happened to him but the only one who believes him is Monsieur Parizot. Not Christian but his father Jacques Parizot (Patrick Paroux), a physics teacher from Colmar and a kind of zany inventor. Tom thinks that his "mission" is to prevent the sale in order that Marie falls in love with Patrick.

Tom Delormes meets the other members of Patrick's team: Javier, the womanizing bartender (Patrick Guérineau), and Odile (Candiie). Serge Lefebvre, a miner from the North of France, his wife Françoise and their son Danny arrive for the holidays. Their presence is an opportunity for Tom to teach his father the spirit of empathy that will become the trademark of the place. Marie is baffled by Patrick's bad management. Tom must queue up in front of a phone booth and Parizot wants to electrocute him to send him back in 2019.

Usually reminiscent of The Love Boat, Camping Paradis goes full Joséphine, ange gardien in the quite enjoyable and often funny Cette année-là. Patrick Paroux is fabulous as a Parizotesque version of Doc from Back to the future. There are no huge special effects but an artistic work made to give the episode a 1970s flavour. Starting from a very special title sequence (Camping Paradis 1976) which nods to the three-way split screen of Dallas (1). The 1980s aren't forgotten with the Tom Selleck/Magnum, P.I. look of "Javier".

Starring Mathias Van Khache (Patrick), Dounia Coesens (Marie), Mathieu Barbet (Aymeric), Benjamin Alazraki (Serge), Catherine Lefroid (Françoise) and Ange Toussaint Panicali (Danny). Produced by Jean-Luc Azoulay and Richard Berkowitz. Bernard Paccalet exec produces. Alain Bucaille is the production manager. Produced with the participation of RTL-TVI and RTS Radio Télévision Suisse. Music by Frédéric Porte. Main title song composed by Sébastien Lipszyc, Emmanuel Lipszyc and Franck Lascombes.

Cinematography by Olivier Guarguir. François Salisch is the production designer. Costumes by Nathalie de Belleval. Sandrine Diot is the artistic coordinator. Main title sequence by Cinespi. Distributed by TF1 Studio.

(1) The car of Aymeric is another nod to Dallas.

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/09/camping-paradis-un-ange-gardien-au.html (Camping Paradis: Un ange gardien au camping)
https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/03/josephine-ange-gardien-trois-campeurs.html (Joséphine, ange gardien: Trois campeurs et un mariage)