Un oiseau rare: A silly little mix-up that mostly works

Is it worth your time?

If you like old French comedies with a lot of frantic door-slamming and people acting like total goons, you'll probably have a decent time. If you need a movie to be snappy or have modern pacing, maybe skip this one. It's a bit of a relic, but a mostly sweet one.

The whole premise is just a classic comedy of errors. The servant wins a trip, the boss decides to crash the party, and suddenly the hotel staff is treating the help like royalty. It’s the kind of setup you’ve seen a hundred times, but there’s something about the way these guys play it that makes it feel less like a tired trope and more like a stage play that escaped into the snow.

Max Dearly is honestly the glue here. He’s got that specific kind of energy that makes you wonder how he keeps a straight face while everyone else is running around like headless chickens. I found myself focusing on the background actors a lot—sometimes they just stand there looking confused, which, honestly, is how I felt for the first ten minutes.

There is this one scene in the lobby that goes on for way too long. The dialogue just circles back on itself. It’s almost like the director forgot to yell 'cut' and just let the cameras roll while the actors looked for their next mark. It’s weirdly charming, even if it is a bit of a drag.

Some random observations:

• The coats in this movie are massive. Everyone looks like they’re wearing a small sofa.
• Jacques Prévert wrote this, which explains why the dialogue is snappier than the plot deserves.
• There’s a moment with a staircase that is pure slapstick gold, even if you can see the wires of the joke from a mile away.

It’s not as dense as Violettes impériales, but it doesn't need to be. Sometimes you just want to watch a guy get confused for his boss while wearing a hat that’s slightly too large for his head. Don’t think too hard about the logic of the hotel staff, because it makes zero sense.

By the end, you’re not really looking for a deep message about class or wealth. You’re just waiting to see if they finally figure out who is who. It’s simple. It’s silly. It works just enough to keep you from checking your phone.

Honestly, I’ve seen worse ways to spend an hour. It’s got that dusty, black-and-white comfort food vibe. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything. It's just a little bird, like the title says. ❄️