Santa Claus is a Stinker

Santa Claus is a Stinker (Le père Noël est une ordure, lit. 'Father Christmas is a scumbag', or 'Father Christmas is a shit') is a French comedy play created in 1979 by the troupe Le Splendid and turned into a film directed by Jean-Marie Poiré in 1982.

Plot
Pierre, a stuffy and self-righteous volunteer at a telephone helpline for depressed people, and his well-meaning but naïve co-worker Thérèse, are stuck with the Christmas Eve shift in the Paris office, much to their displeasure.

The building's lift is malfunctioning, and they receive visits from unwanted callers: Katia, a depressed transvestite who tries to hit on Pierre; M. Preskovitch who lives in the same building and always turns up unexpectedly to offer them various unappetizing pastries; and Josette, a heavily pregnant woman on the run from her violent fiancé Félix. Félix is working as a Santa Claus during the season and turns up on her trail in costume, brandishing a gun. Félix and Josette, a caricature trailer trash couple, end up struggling over the gun and accidentally shoot the lift repairman dead, whom they then butcher and feed to zoo animals.

The origin of the doubitchous


The pastries used in the film are a creation of Josiane Balasko who had travelled to Osijek, in Croatia, the birthplace of her father. During her stay the actress discovered funny local specialties which gave her the inspiration of the doubitchous of the film.

The painting used in the film
The painting depicting Thérèse with a pig used in the film is different from the one used for theatre version of Le père Noël est une ordure. Two different artists have painted the two pieces: Bernard de Desnoyers and Christoff Debusschere.

Today the painting that was used to shoot the film is in the hands of its author, Bernard de Desnoyers, who has kept the work.

English (US) remake of the film
In 1994 the basic plot was used by writer/director Nora Ephron to develop the US film Mixed Nuts.

Cast

 * Anémone as Thérèse
 * Thierry Lhermitte as Pierre Mortez
 * Marie-Anne Chazel as Josette
 * Gérard Jugnot as Félix
 * Christian Clavier as Katia
 * Josiane Balasko as Madame Musquin
 * Bruno Moynot as Preskovitch
 * Jacques François as The Pharmacist
 * Martin Lamotte as Monsieur Leblé
 * Michel Blanc (voice only) as an obscene crank caller