My New Partner

This standard police comedy-drama was such a crowd-pleaser in France that it walked away with the Cesar for Best Picture and Best Director. All the awards in the world, however, won't save this one from being anything but run-of-the-mill. Rene (Philippe Noiret) is a disheveled plainclothes policeman who has long ago thrown away the rulebook. With the majority of his income consisting of bribes, he lives comfortably with Simone (Regine), a former prostitute, and relaxes by playing the horses. A monkey wrench is thrown into Rene's scheme, however, when he is assigned a new partner--Francois (Thierry Lhermitte), a rookie cop who knows all the rules. It's not long befo...