Originally Published: 2002-12-01

An improvised comedy shot on digital video, Jesse Peretz's The Chateau is an admirable experiment that ultimately can't hide its shaky premise and loose edges.
Shot in the south of France, The Chateau centres on brothers Graham (Paul Rudd) and Allen (Romany Malco), who travel from the U.S. to a remote chateau they've just inherited from a long-lost great-uncle. When they arrive at this enormous estate, they find that the staff are unwilling to help the brothers sell off the house which is, in essence, a money pit. And while the quirky servants sabotage any real estate deals - with the pretty young maid (Sylvie Testud) seducing both siblings - the staff is secretly arranging a deal of their own.
Despite some terrific performances by Rudd and Malco, The Chateau barely lifts itself from its one-note joke. The film's first act, in fact, centres on the Anglo-Franco language barriers and some funny culture-class sequences, but this premise wears itself out very fast. As to the atmospherics, too dark and cool for enjoyment. Nice try, though.

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