The Visitors

A twelfth-century knight and his squire are thrown forward instead of backward by a botched spell and land in France in 1992. All of the comedy comes from that collision: these men do not recognise a postbox, a car or a bathroom, so they attack all three. Christian Clavier and Jean Reno drive it, with Valérie Lemercier alongside. In France it became a cultural event. With around 78 million dollars and close to 13.8 million admissions it was the most-seen film of 1993 there, took 98.8 million worldwide, and finished as the highest-grossing non-English language film of the year. It collected eight César nominations, and Lemercier won Best Supporting Actress. Critics stayed cool, leaving it at 31 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Two sequels followed and the series ran to 2016. An American remake, Just Visiting, arrived in 2001 with the same leads and did not work. Who it is for: viewers who enjoy loud, fast, broad French comedy. Who it is not for: anyone wanting wit. Most of the jokes here are shouted, and stretches of it repeat themselves.