The draw for me was Carole Bouquet and the fact that Olivier Gourmet was supporting merely sweetened the pot. As it turned out it's not bad at all if anybody asks you. Gourmet is the head honcho of a boarding school that's not a million miles away from the similar outfit run by Paul Meurisse in Les Diaboliques (Meurisse also had the help of his wife, Vera Clouzot, as Gourmet does with Bouquet) or, if it comes to that, Francis Berleand's school in Les Choristes and, for those who like symmetry, the three schools in question span three decades, the forties, fifties and sixties. Damien Jouillerot is shaping up into a decent young actor; he had a supporting role in Monsieur Batignole then a co-lead in Malabar Princess and he takes the lion's share of screen time here as the son of Gourmet and Bouquet who has a tough time spelling, hence the title. Gourmet, a sort of autocrat-lite has decreed that it's time the boy roughed it with the other boys in the dormitory; being small, young and about as macho as Harpo Marx he decides to lead a revolt against the lousy food, poor conditions, etc, so what we have is a conflict story, beautifully observed and acted superbly by Bouquet and Gourmet. Recommended.
Review of Les fautes d'orthographe
