Foreign Affaires: A chaotic afternoon on the Riviera

Is this thing worth your time?

If you like old British farce, you'll probably get a kick out of Foreign Affaires. It’s light, it’s breezy, and it doesn’t ask much of you. If you need grit or deep stakes, skip it. You will absolutely hate this if you find upper-class accents from the 1930s grating or if you have zero patience for people constantly misunderstanding each other in drawing rooms.

There's a specific kind of frantic energy in this one. It feels like the actors are constantly trying to keep a spinning plate from crashing. Robertson Hare and Ralph Lynn are doing their usual dance. They are the definition of 'broke but posh.' You know the type. They wear the suit like it's armor, even when their pockets are entirely empty.

The whole Riviera setting is just lovely, honestly. It’s all sun-drenched sets and people pretending they have way more money than they actually do. There’s a scene about halfway through—I think it’s in a hotel lobby—where the timing gets so tight it’s almost stressful. People are ducking behind chairs and popping up at the worst possible moments. One character literally jumps into a cupboard. It’s absurd. I loved it.

The pacing is a bit weird, though. Sometimes it feels like they’re running a sprint, and then it just... stops. They spend way too long in one room talking about a bill that isn't going to get paid anyway. It’s like the movie forgets it’s supposed to be a comedy for a few minutes. Then, boom, another misunderstanding involving a waiter and a fake identity.

I couldn't help but compare it to A Tough Tenderfoot, which had a bit more of a rugged, outdoorsy charm. This is much more trapped inside. It’s a bit like a stage play that got lost on its way to the theater. Not that that's a bad thing. There’s a comfort in knowing exactly what you’re getting: a lot of running around and people acting like complete idiots to save face.

Small details I noticed:

• The way the glasses clink in the bar scenes is consistently off-beat.
• There’s a background extra in the third scene who clearly forgets his line and just stares at a painting for ten seconds.
• The lighting in the exterior shots is surprisingly moody for a farce.

Honestly, the plot doesn't matter much. It’s just an excuse for these guys to wiggle out of trouble. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a nice way to kill an hour if you want to watch people make mistakes in fancy clothes. Don't overthink it. Just enjoy the chaos. 🥂