Just Visiting (2001)

Despite new characters and plot lines, the film acknowledges its roots, "Les Visiteurs," by recreating some of the now-classic, over-the-top physical comedy gags from the original blockbuster that became a cultural phenomenon in France.

"French schools were full of kids speaking lines from that film for months and months," remembers Ledoux of the movie's success. "They repeated the dialogue of the actors again and again, because they thought they were so funny. I hope that will happen again in the United States."

"There were what became cult scenes in the first film," explains Gaubert. "People came to see "Le Visiteurs' five and six times. Many kids knew the scenes by heart, such as the one in the bathroom where they are supposed to take a bath, only they don't know how to take a bath. They don't even know how to wash their hands!"

"We didn't want to take the scene out of the new movie because it's one of the cult scenes. But in this version, our bathroom is gorgeous! Here we have a really nice, big set and the American toilet paper is prettier! It's a hilarious scene and there are a few like that that we have kept.

"The charming thing about these guys is they behave like gremlins because they don't know any better. Being from the Middle Ages, they don't know how to use anything in the modern bathroom so, of course, they are going to be a disaster for the person who owns the house!"

Clavier agrees, "When they come to Chicago, everything, including electricity, telephones and television, is new to them. They are very astonished by everything. To them, the car is a chariot that moves by itself! It's funny because the characters' actions are logical. We always try to be inside the psychology of those characters. The audience understands exactly what's happening in their heads when they are in front of the bathtub filling up. They are astonished because, to them, it's a fountain."

Mestres adds, "They've never seen anything like this, so the audience gets a chance to appreciate the sometimes ridiculous nature of our world through fresh eyes."

Though he has made dozens of movies in his twenty-five year career and is a major box office force in Europe, "Just Visiting" is Christian Clavier's English-language film debut.

"Christian Clavier is unknown in the United States but he is a massive star in France," comments producer Ricardo Mestres. "He's a household name equivalent to Jim Carrey or Adam Sandier in the U.S. He has focused his career in France, so this film is a big step for him."

Clavier, who is also likened to Robin Williams and Jerry Lewis, is flattered by the comparisons. "I'm very proud of that because I admire them very much and I think they are very talented. I appreciate that very much."

Producer Mestres is reminded of another much-loved European comedic actor. "The person that Christian has always reminded me of is Peter Sellers. Christian has this wonderful animated sense of the ridiculous. I think American audiences will quickly discover that he has got amazing comedic sense."

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