All-Time High 2023 Movie Review
Youssef ( Nassim Lyes ) doesn’t like the truth. He even lies to his girlfriend constantly, whether it’s about his origins, his hair or his profession. He doesn’t really work. Rather, he stays afloat with scams involving fake handbags. When he tries to make a quick buck by playing card games, he loses the last bit he has. And a lot more. Stephanie ( Zoé Marchal ), who is sitting at the same gaming table, is even luckier and really takes him out. As a result, his relationship is over and he has the people at the casino on his hands, to whom he owes a lot of money. But then he meets Stephanie again, who says she has considerable crypto assets. Youssef doesn’t need to be told twice…
In France there are only romantic comedies or serious social dramas? This is a prejudice that is currently being refuted by streaming services. Action comedies in particular are very popular right now. Thieves, which debuted on Netflix this month, was about two friends who repeatedly carry out robberies. Then we changed sides on Disney+ : In Antigang: Home Run we follow an ex-policeman who hunts down his wife’s murderers together with his cheeky daughter. In comparison, the Netflix production New Rich is quite harmless. Because here it’s “only” about who can cheat whom out of money and whether the characters get out of the situation unscathed.
Usually in films you choose people who are as likeable as possible so that the audience gets excited. This has been omitted here. Youssef is a shameless cheater who constantly lies to even his own girlfriend. And Stephanie isn’t exactly what you would call an identification figure either. But that won’t really be a disadvantage for the new rich . This means that the excitement goes away. But you can at least be curious about what it all leads to. After all, director and co-author Julien Hollande relies on escalation from the start. After just a few minutes there is chaos. And this will not decrease, that much becomes clear. The events unfold rapidly as the two main characters fight sometimes together and sometimes against each other.
Nassim Lyes has previously demonstrated in other films that he can do the latter. In the action odyssey Farang – Shadows of the Underworld, as the main character, he competently fights his way through Thailand; the woman’s death ultimately has to be avenged. His appearance here isn’t quite as impressive, apart from the demonstration of his six-pack abs. Youssef is ultimately supposed to be someone who is completely overwhelmed by life. In return, the Frenchman can prove in New Rich that he has a sense of humor and doesn’t shy away from showing an unfavorable side of himself. His character repeatedly makes himself ridiculous. And then there are the scenes that show him with a rather unflattering head of hair.
It’s not all that demanding. Lyes and Hollande, who co-wrote the screenplay, show no greater ambition with either the story or the humor. You shouldn’t expect any surprises from this action comedy. But the collaboration works. The non-stop chaos is amusing, especially because the ensemble got to work with a lot of enthusiasm. You don’t necessarily have to be able to understand why the two main characters develop feelings for each other. They are not lovable enough for that. If that doesn’t bother you, you can be entertained by the nouveau riche . You can switch your brain to pull for a little bit, then it starts and the accelerator pedal is really pressed down.
What happens when a con artist and a crypto millionaire work together? Lots. The action comedy “Nouveau Riche” is chaos and fast-paced from the start and only slightly eases off the accelerator until the end. You don’t have to be able to recreate the love story, there’s nothing demanding here anyway. But it still entertains, also because of a playful ensemble.
