Jobless After a Cult Classic Flopped: Pierre-François Martin-Laval’s Harsh Downturn

In the early 2000s, the comedy troupe Les Robin des Bois decided to make the jump to the big screen. Building on their success in stage and television, they embarked on a unique project: a comedy set in the prehistoric age focusing on an unlikely rivalry between two tribes, the Dirty Hairs and the Clean Hairs, with an absurd yet crucial goal – to discover shampoo.

To bring this vision to life, the group teamed up with Alain Chabat, who was riding high after the success of “Astérix and Obélix: Mission Cleopatra”. All the elements appeared to be in place to captivate audiences. Nevertheless, upon its release in 2004, RRRrrrr !!! failed to meet expectations. The critics were especially harsh, with Le Parisien bluntly declaring it a flop with a front-page headline: “TERRIBLE!”.

Harsh Critical Reception and its Aftermath

Looking back, the film eventually found its audience, drawing in over 1.7 million viewers and gradually achieving cult status. However, at the time, the harsh reception was a significant blow to its creators. Last year, appearing on the France 2 show “Un dimanche à la campagne”, Pierre-François Martin-Laval, also known as PEF, opened up about this challenging time.

“It wasn’t just Le Parisien that said it was terrible. Everyone did. It was a huge slap in the face. We had put so much passion, laughter, and hard work into it,” he recalled. He emphasized the extensive effort behind the film: “We spent over two years writing the script, including 10 to 12 months with Alain Chabat. We were very sad.”

Beyond the artistic disappointment, the chilly reception had deeper consequences. “It kind of broke us, too. I’m not even sure if it didn’t contribute to splitting us up,” he suggested, indicating that the failure may have weakened the group’s cohesion.

A Desert Crossing Before Bouncing Back

For him, the repercussions were both personal and professional. “And for me, not to say more than others, but it’s true that I found myself without work. It was like a small desert crossing for almost two years…” A period of doubt ensued, marked by a feeling of regression in his career.

“I called my agent, asking him, ‘I had one of the main roles, how come Jean-Paul Rouve, Marina Foïs, continue to get work after what happened, and not me?’” he shared. Facing this situation, he deeply questioned himself: “I felt like I was back to square one. I wondered if I should change professions.”

In the end, it was a straightforward remark from a close friend that encouraged him to keep going: “And then my best friend at the time told me: ‘What are you looking for another job for, you can’t do anything else!’ So, he reminded me of the student I was and ‘You can’t do anything else’. In a way, that meant: ‘So, keep doing what you know how to do.’”

Over time, this advice proved invaluable. Although the collective adventure of Les Robin des Bois ended after this episode, Pierre-François Martin-Laval successfully revived his career. He continued to achieve success both in front of and behind the camera, notably directing “Les Profs” and its sequel, both of which were box office hits.

RRRrrrr !!! is available for streaming on Canal+ and Disney+.

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