Mazel Tov ou le mariage

A comedy of manners which cocks a wryly amused eye at the pomp and circumstance attending preparations for the marriage of a nice Jewish boy (Berri himself) to a nice Jewish girl (Wiener). He is French, poor, a bit of a dreamer; she is Belgian, rich, practical and pregnant. Complications set in when she realises she truly loves him, but he goes starry-eyed about an English teacher (Harrington). All comes out in the wash, of course, though not without the caustic implication that a happy Jewish family in the hand is worth two grand passions in the bush. What makes the film, really, is its refusal to fall back on stereotypical characters and situations. Its constant alertness to eccentricities of behaviour make it both engaging and often very funny.