Considering
it was Antoine Galland who first added the story of Aladdin to the Arabian Nights, the French have as much
right as anyone to give him the mash-up treatment. In this case, it probably
helps to get the jokes if you understand the anachronistic French idioms. Too
bad its dubbed. Be that as it may, Arthur Benzaqueen’s The New Adventures of Aladdin (trailer here) releases today on
VOD.
Sam
told his out-of-his-league girlfriend Sofia he works in finance, but he is
really a homeless bum doing temp work as a department store Santa. He can’t
come to Christmas dinner with Sofia’s disapproving family, because he stuck
telling stories to the urchins. For some reason, he decides to go with Aladdin,
who looks very much like Sam, albeit with radically different wardrobe.
Through
various misadventures, Aladdin will acquire a certain lamp housing a less than
gracious genie. Wishes will be granted to help the thief win over the beautiful
Princess Shallia, but the evil Vizier manipulating her easily distracted father
behind the throne will not give up power without a fight.
Benzaqueen
and screenwriter Daive Cohen go for humor based on the ironic juxtaposition of
modern attitudes with storybook tropes—sort of like Shrek and Shelley Duval’s Fairy
Tale Theater, but with somewhat more ribald and scatological seasoning. It
is hard not to get the broad comedy, but the obvious dubbing job makes it all
sound unfortunately cheesy. Frankly, anime is probably the only genre who can
get away with dubbing, because there is a large pool of specialists who really
understand the franchises and conventions.
As
Aladdin and Sam, Kev Adams can clearly take a pratfall, but that doesn’t mean
he always should. Similarly, Jean-Paul Rouve seems to be playing to the back
row of a Nineteenth Century vaudeville hall as the Vizier. Vanessa Guide certainly
looks the part of the princess and more less manages to carry herself with dignity.
Of course, Eric Judor is almost required by law to get shticky as the genie, but
at least he makes the case for democracy and low taxation. Too bad the citizens
of Baghdad are not listening.
