Playtime (by Jacques Tati)

Saw this maybe a month or two ago on some streaming site one Sunday afternoon

Since my folks were hovering over me and I couldn't get any peace on a Sunday, I just ended up eavesdropping on some pretty hilarious bits of the movie

It’s got that 60s-70s modernist vibe. All about the machine. Some guy is looking for someone in an office building [scene I vaguely recall]. He jumps in an elevator, and then some guy who might be important to him steps out. He hits the box office, wanders through the crowd, loops back, leaves... it’s like he's at some kind of trade show where some dude keeps slamming doors. But the doors are weirdly quiet... you can bang on them and nothing happens. Then he sits at a desk and walks off... I don't remember the exact sequence...

Anyone recognize this??
Felt like a really interesting parody of modernism... all that stuff about brutality and machines...

anyone?

🙂

Perhaps Brazil might be an option?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/

Hey, I love this! It’s just like that scene in Clerks where some guy wanders into a video store and asks: Do you have that one with that guy who was in the movie that was out last year?
👍

I think we could actually dive into a film by Jacques Tati. It’s from the sixties. I saw it ages ago, though I can't recall if there was even an American release—in English, it's titled Playtime.

Playtime is... 🙂 thanks ironcrane7
already downloading...............................

AllMovie is such a joke... I finally realized I'm
just as clueless as everyone else. I remember seeing Uncle on PBS once too... pretty cool
😁

Well, I suppose I'll be watching that movie too...
But only in a theater, just so my brain doesn't melt from the sheer intensity.

Tati is one of those unfortunate souls who left behind such a small body of work...

Honestly, most TV comedians from the seventies basically lifted ninety percent of their entire routine from this film...

Benjamin Gray66 said:And honestly, TV comedians back in the 70s basically ripped off 90 percent of their bits from this movie.

Is this maybe a nod to >? It just hit me—it’s wild how many modern comedies essentially scavenge gags and punchlines straight from a handful of classics by actual geniuses. I remember catching a trailer once for that Mr. Bean thing, some movie about him on vacation or whatever. I was standing there in line at the theater, watching the trailer roll, and I could hardly believe my eyes—the whole routine was just a blatant patchwork of old comedy staples. If I had to guess, they were leaning most heavily on Tati, specifically pulling stuff from >. It’s pretty unbelievable how much of that goes totally unpunished in Hollywood today!😁

Plus, > got a fantastic > release not too long ago. It’s loaded with documentary footage about Tati and the restoration of the film itself is just phenomenal. 👍

Brenda Lee50 said:Is this some kind of nod to Playtime? Now that I think about it—yeah. It makes you wonder how many modern comedies are actually just scavenging bits and pieces of jokes from a handful of genuine classics written by actual geniuses.

This feels a bit out of left field—but while I was reading this amazing post, I actually started laughing out loud. It just triggered a memory of that scene with the "sea dog" boat. Honestly? It might be one of the most sweetly hilarious moments ever put to film. 😍

...but whatever, I actually really love that movie. 😳 I honestly always feel this pang of regret that I never quite find the time to actually sit down and dive into Tati's filmography properly—you know, both the stuff I’ve already seen and the classics I haven't touched yet. It makes me wonder... if I were to revisit them now, would they even hit the same way? Or would they look completely different through my eyes today? 🙂

Tati is an absolute genius in my eyes. After Jean Renoir, he’s easily my favorite director. Honestly, I don't think anyone has ever made cinema feel quite this original or breathed such fresh life into the medium since the Lumiere brothers first stumbled upon it. By essentially reinventing silent film through his innovative way of playing with sound, and pairing that with his totally unique approach to physical comedy, he sparked a genuine revolution in how we experience movies.

I also really dig how unpretentious he was as a person. There was this intellectual humility to him, a willingness to lean into these almost childlike emotions and perspectives. That kind of mental freedom—that raw imagination paired with a lack of ego—is exactly what allowed him to turn tiny, simple ideas into massive, sweeping projects. Every single one of his films feels more original, more layered, and more inventive than the endless sea of mediocre movies that constantly clutter those "top ten" lists. It’s a real shame how things ended for him. 😢

Brenda Lee50 said:To me, Tati is an absolute genius—honestly, he’s my second favorite director right after Jean Renoir. I don't think anyone else has made cinema feel quite as original or breathed as much fresh life into it since the Lumiere brothers first invented the medium. By essentially reinventing silent film through his innovative way of handling sound, and then topping it off with his unique approach to physical comedy, he truly revolutionized comedic expression—and cinema at large, really.

What I also find incredibly charming is how unpretentious he was as a person. There was this intellectual modesty to him, a willingness to share these almost childlike emotions and perspectives. That mental freedom—that raw imagination paired with such humility—is exactly what allowed him to turn tiny, simple ideas into massive, sweeping projects. Every single one of his films feels more original, more layered, and more inventive than the endless sea of mediocre movies that constantly clutter those "top ten" lists. It’s honestly such a shame how things ended for him. 😢

Hehe, Tati is definitely a genius... I've sat through all of his features... you can't help but laugh at him... sure, he picked up a few bits from Chaplin (especially in the way he moves) and that deadpan stone face from Keaton... but he actually pushed further—about as far as one could push the craft when moving from the silent era into the age of sound.
Tati😁

Amanda Lopez50 said:...it was a bit out of nowhere, but while I was reading this beautiful post, I actually started laughing out loud because I remembered that scene with the 'Sea Dog' boat—it might just be the most sweetly hilarious moment ever filmed.😍

here it is! It's pure madness. To pack that many jokes and ideas into a mere four-minute clip is almost unbelievable. What really fascinates me about his gags is their technical perfection; it’s the sheer execution of an idea that seems nearly impossible to film without modern special effects while it's still just a concept in your head. Take that specific scene with the Sea Dog, for example, where he’s painting a kayak using a bucket of paint that just floats around him from every angle. Truly incredible... 😕

By the way, my favorite bit of mischief in the opening scene of > is when the crowd is waiting for the train at the station. You can clearly see Tati's obsession with making crucial dialogue completely unintelligible through various mumbles and gestures. He often leaned into those logical absurdities; for instance, he'll frame a shot of Mr. Hulot having a conversation with some lady, but instead of hearing what they're saying, their dialogue is muffled into total nonsense, while all the ambient noise and background chatter is cranked up to full volume. 😲

In >, there’s also that incredibly sweet audio gag that runs through the whole thing—that bit with the rotating doors making a racket, or what the Monty Python crew would call "the door that goes ping!" When I think about it, Tati seemed to have a bit of a fetish for doors. In >, there is that timeless trick where he and the doorman smash through the glass doors at the restaurant entrance, yet they just keep fiddling with the handle right in front of the guests as if the door were still perfectly intact. 😂

Benjamin Thompson66 said:hehe, Jacques tata is a genius... I've watched all his features... he's genuinely hilarious... sure, he picked up a bit of that Charlie Chaplin flair (mostly in how he moves) and that deadpan look from Buster Keaton... but he pushed things further, about as far as sound could take comedy away from the silent era
Tati😁

Yeah, you've got Jacques tata, the grandson and son of high-society diplomats who somehow winds up performing mime and circus acts. He grew up intoxicated by the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, so it was bound to bleed into his work, bless his little heart. 😍