Dry but visually impressive absurdist comedy. Tati's characters wander through a maze of elaborately constructed but drab set pieces which foreshadow the dystopian environments of Terry Gilliam's "Brazil," resulting in a vision of modern alienation that leans closer to modern art than narrative fiction.

Ótimo filme de Jacques Tati, leve e cômico que é a sua marca registrada, mas dessa vez ele usou o humor para fazer críticas a sociedade capitalista e moderna da época, claro que as pessoas para perceberem isso terão que ter um outro tipo de olhar para com a obra.

We all need a drunk American rich guy who gets the party started at the club, even if said club is not ready (yet) for that much partying. A friend and me joke that every Italian and French movie from the 60s and 70s has a nightclub scene. Well, here's the mother of all nightclub scenes in glorious 70mm. The only other Tati film I'd seen before is Jour de Fête, which I thought was pretty awful, but PlayTime is infinitely better. It's like the missing link between Modern Times and Severance. My favourite part is near the beginning, when mr. Hulot has to wait to be admitted to the waiting room, but the chatter among the American tourists delivered every time too. The paradox of this film is that as much as Tati seems to hate mass consumerism, uniform and cold architecture and busy traffic, and just good old marxist alienation, the camera loves a lot of those glass and steel buildings.

Anthology of architects' humor! First of all I would love to say that I recommended this movie for anyone who want to get started to watch an abstract film. It's quite easy to followed up as if you have experienced some urbanist's problems and there's thin plot to follow. There's no main character or solid storyline plot, but you can viewing this as an anthology. The film was composed of two languages, French and English. I recommend for anyone whose not so fluent in French to watch the subtitled version. The film portrayed collections of modern sceneries where people are trying to "be different" by using something modern and popular. However in many scenes showed that the process of changing oneself could be compared to a factory chai, where many raw composites got in at one end, and then comes out as uniform styles on the other end. The film was convincing the audience to see how humans be humans, in mechanical world. Somehow, we behave foolishly as we give up our own comprehension and thoughts for ideas of "renowned designers" without realize if it's match our inner personality or not, or if it's just non-useable social currency. (This is also the big problem that created post modernism, the movement where people questioning perfect modern life to the realistic life they would love to live) and I think this was the main reason many architects and designer praising and recommending this film for many students. I would like to give praise to the art directing teams of this movie for composed such lovely and in the same time can explain the ideas very clearly. All scene in the movie was well arranged with good cinematography and the setting was very minimal, so it can tell the main idea straight to the point. In some scene you'll see that the objects alone are not so important or getting focus at all but what was emphasized on the screen is awkward reaction and behavior of human towards those inventions. The film can express this idea in graceful way, even there was less speeches on the screen. I would say that this was a genuine talent on visual communication using limited visual production. I would complain on how movie narrates. For without the story plot, this movie have very dense direction and very easy to get lost in continuity. Although, some idea in the movie was exaggerated as to insult sarcastically to any group of people. In one hand it was good to explaining an idea, but in the other hand, the communicating method might not be so amiable. So if you want to viewing this classic, you might feel a difference and challenging of your mindset during each act of a film, It's not too difficult but not so simple. For many audience that love narrative style, I would not recommend this film by previous opinion. (But also worth to try) For the overall, i would say that this movies was worth to its praise and honor as a good architectural classic. If you're student of any related field, you shouldn't missed and try to be open minded to got your best from this movie. This movie can change how you perceiving a word of design. Such Graceful 7.5/10 Coconun,

Spent pleasant time in Paris with Tati. Aesthetically satisfying, almost all footages are like a sophisticated graphic design. it's not about a plot, funny moments are carefully placed everywhere.

Hard to figure what this almost plotless film was. First half in particular is an intentionally grey satire of modern life. Picked up pace in the restaurant in the second half of the film where the funniest capers ensue. Hulot the old dog has a fan in the hot American woman who prob should have a sleep and a shower before getting on her flight home. Too dull in places to recommend but it has its moments.

No son tiempos para jugar. Es una obra que acumula adverbios adjetivales. Es la mayor película de Tati, la más compleja, la mejor lograda y, a la vez, es la más difícil de ver. Rodada en 1967 este es el cuarto largometraje (quinto filme si se toma en cuenta su primer corto de 1947) de este gran artista que decidió filmarla en 70mm, un tamaño gigantesco de fotograma que podía apreciarse solamente en un puñado de salas que contaran con pantallas y proyectores acordes. Esta decisión estética (funesta desde el punto de vista financiero) buscaba resaltar hasta sus últimas consecuencias y hasta el más mínimo detalle las decenas de gags simultáneos que ocurren en una complejísima coreografía de protagonistas, extras, vehículos y gigantescos decorados construidos en acero y vidrio. Ningún ambiente utilizó locaciones exteriores, absolutamente todo se fabricó a escala en estudios. La multitud de vehículos —automóviles, autobuses, camiones, motocicletas, maquinaria vial— fueron movidos con una precisión milimétrica de relojero en ensayos que fueron tan extenuantes que resultó en la producción más cara en la historia del cine francés, y también en la ruina económica de su creador. La capacidad inigualable de Tati para mover personajes y objetos en primeros, segundos, terceros y últimos planos en la misma toma hace que "Playtime" sea, además de una obra maestra, una película abrumadora e inabarcable para ver una sola vez. Lo ideal sería saber francés para no perder atención en subtítulos, e igualmente la mayoría de las secuencias requieren rebobinar para ver una y otra vez la misma escena y así poder apreciar las sutilezas que se encadenan unas a otras en una sucesión interminable de causas y efectos. Sumándole el genial manejo del sonido con la amplificación de los ruidos ambientales, incluso de aquellos fuera de cuadro, debe reconocerse que hay momentos en que el espectador queda desconcertado y algo cansado. Por todo lo que antecede yo creo que es conveniente ver esta película luego de haber visto "Mon Oncle" y "Trafic". Y armarse además de paciencia y saber que será un visionado que requiere descansos, rebobinados y algo de reflexión. Lo moderno, la confusión y la ingenuidad. Eterno "leitmotiv" del señor Hulot la automatización de la vida moderna que le impide comprenderla, insertarse en ella e interactuar con el prójimo, aquí también se extiende al resto de los personajes. Todos ellos, desde los que esperan en el aeropuerto, los turistas que son acarreados para distintos hoteles o paseos de acuerdo a la letra de su apellido, hasta una increíble fauna de comensales y personal de servicio en la larguísima secuencia del restaurante de lujo que se inaugura sin haber terminado las obras de construcción del mismo, no encajan, no se acomodan, andan por el mundo como Monsieur Hulot —incluso hay tres o cuatro dobles de este personaje— tratando de encontrar su lugar en el mundo. Los turistas que visitan Paris ven los íconos famosos de la ciudad luz solamente en los reflejos de las vidrieras (torre Eiffel, Arco de Triunfo). Además en su deambular por las calles y los comercios están rodeados de afiches turísticos que promocionan otros lugares (Grecia, Italia, España) pero todos ellos tienen la misma fotografía: un edificio todo metal y cristales que, a su vez, está presente una y otra vez en frente mismo a ellos. Van todos como las ovejas en el rebaño y, por ejemplo, en una pista de baile con dimensiones para 6 o 7 parejas se ponen a bailar más de cincuenta personas. Una orquesta en vivo de jazz, interpretando un tema de ritmo africano, hace que el desenfreno de la danza de esa multitud debe verse repetidas veces no solo para volver a disfrutarla, sino también para descubrir infinidad de gags que son imperceptibles porque ocurren simultáneamente. Es prácticamente imposible imaginar cómo habrán sido los ensayos para mover a esa cantidad de extras con tanta precisión, con tanto garbo y con la desopilante consecuencia de esa enorme humorada. De entre muchas, se destaca una escena en la que un anciano portero debe lidiar con un gigantesco panel electrónico para anunciar a una oficina la llegada de un cliente. Que las instrucciones estén escritas en un idioma desconocido para este pobre hombre es un detalle final que hace que la secuencia se antológica. La secuencia final en un enorme carrusel (tiovivo) conformado por decenas de vehículos que dan vueltas alrededor de una especie de obelisco muestra algo así como una alegoría de que no todo está perdido: aparecen por primera vez los niños arrojando globos que dan un colorido final a una estupenda fotografía previa de tonos apagados, ocres y nocturnos. Capitalismo, burgueses y trabajadores. El tono general es una sutil pero, a la vez, feroz crítica al progreso y al "stablishment". Por un lado la descripción de productos de consumo masivo ridículos e inútiles. Sillas y sillones que vuelven a su estado original cuando uno se pone de pie, escobas con faroles que permiten iluminar debajo de una mesa cuando se está barriendo, puertas insonoras diseñadas para dar portazos silenciosos, etcétera. Los dueños de empresas, arquitectos, usuarios de gran poder económico que se visten todos iguales de punta en blanco para la ocasión, en la inauguración de un restaurante 5 tenedores que aún no terminó sus obras. Son quienes miran con desprecio al resto de los mortales, a los turistas de viajes económicos, a los borrachos callejeros y que tratan a sus empleados como perros. Pero, como siempre, son los laburantes quienes tienen el peso de hacer funcionar las cosas. Son los meseros quienes sirven y sientan a los comensales en sus mesas, los cocineros y barmans quienes proveen las comidas y las bebidas, e incluso los porteros que abren y cierran puertas de vidrio que ya no existen porque fueron destruidas por Hulot. Estos trabajadores no van a restaurantes de lujo, van a pequeños lugares de comida rápida y prefieren los sándwiches de pan francés, vino suelto y alguna cerveza en lata. En la debacle de la inauguración del restaurante queda bien claro que los grupos de turistas de paquetes económicos tienen horas distintas al resto para usar sus instalaciones, generalmente o muy temprano o tan tarde que ya uno no tiene ganas de comer. Cualquiera de nosotros que haya viajado en excursión sabe de todo esto. La arquitectura y la geometría. Sobre este tema hay profuso material escrito en Internet. En varias facultades de arquitectura (Brasil, Francia, Bélgica) se estudian los decorados y las construcciones de Play Time. En la producción de esta película hubo una estrecha colaboración de arquitectos con Tati para la construcción del set. Las líneas de fuga en los edificios, el diseño en un enorme complejo de oficinas dispuestas en cabinas que, aún cuando están contiguas, se comunican por teléfono para pasarse información que está archivada en la propia cabina desde la cual se piden los datos. Pisos relucientes (y muy ruidosos al transitarlos), enormes ventanales que permiten el uso de luz natural pero que a la vez carecen de intimidad porque desde las veredas puede verse todo lo que ocurre puertas adentro. No sólo en los edificios comerciales, también en los rascacielos que alojan los apartamentos donde vive la gente y cuya vida interior transcurre como detrás de grandes vidrieras. En fin, una joyita del séptimo arte sobre la cual se ha escrito mucho. Tal vez demasiado, incluyendo estas pobres líneas mías que bien podrían ser eliminadas. Se trata de un filme que merece la pena hacer el esfuerzo intelectual y de atención para disfrutarla. Estoy tentado de decir para espectadores inteligentes pero no lo hago porque eso sería menospreciar al prójimo... Cosa que nunca hizo Jacques Tati

Thoroughly enjoyed it for an hour, adored it by the time the restaurant scene really got underway. Great satire, some amusing gags but above all utterly brilliant visuals. Definitely won't be everybody's cup of tea but this is a masterpiece for me, a true one of a kind and the level of effort that went into it must have been obscene.

In Jacques Tati's Playtime, Monsieur Hulot (Tati) wanders his way through an urban landscape bereft of vibrancy, color and personality, periodically crossing paths with an American tourist (Barbara Dennek) who seems intent on keeping distance between herself and her tour group. There's not much plot and not much in the way of character development, but the visuals and the sound in Playtime, especially in the first half, are absolutely remarkable. Every shot is perfectly framed and every scene is immaculately blocked. The viewer, never sure where to look or what to focus on, almost becomes an active participant as characters appear and disappear out of frame. Not all of the subtle comedy works and the restaurant scenes runs on for far too long but, despite this, there is only one Playtime and it is worth watching.

so much detail in the preparation; the carousel scene is sublime

Oh Jacques Tati no plot has he, but he did have an enormous budget to construct a ginormous set. Tati does nothing for me. The films I've seen so far seem rather silly (Traffic very much so), arbitrary as hell as to meaning, and monotonous. Just because a lot is happening, and a great deal certainly does, it doesn't mean such action is particularly entertaining. To me, this is a great example of how you can look at any movie, esp. a foreign film as outre as this one, with an elaborate scale and so much detail, and make wild proclamations/assertions about its brilliance. Why is it seemingly every European film from this time was full of negative criticism of the 'modern world', the 'sterility of industrial times', and always harping on the bourgeoisie. Ohhh that darn bourgeoisie. Meh, too French, too Tati, too nebulous, and not too funny. 2.5 stars

At the first time that I watched "Playtime" without knowing much about it but pretty familiar with his main star screenwriter and director Jacques Tati my only definition in order to try to explain my feelings and perceptions about this film that come to my mind then and now is… what wonderful kaleidoscope of gags visual scenes and funny sounds that will require multiple views to be fully appreciated. Even knowing that Tati made previous Monsieur Hulot's movies in the past this movie also is a first in many ways for Hulot and his creator. Tati first color film also first time we do not necessarily see the old Paris that we expect to see but instead we have a more modern city leaning for the future and first time for Monsieur Hulot to come to at the big city with all the insanity that will come with it to that and finally is the first time that Hulot is not necessarily the main character but all citizens and the city itself as a whole. If Modern Times by Chaplin critics to the industry and mechanization of human beings in order to get more comfortable life in the 30s Tati's movie really aims to modernity and technologies that may or may not will lead us to alienation late 60s and beyond. Is funny to look at Hulot trying to cope on how people are trying hard to understand new gadgets that supposed to make life easier. In one of the many memorable scenes and right after Monsieur Hulot first appearance on the movie a doorman has to announce his arrival by using a kind of modern call box that looks infinitely complex and gets funnier as the doorman start using it as Hulot just watch the poor man trying to make sure he touches the right keys. For this masterpiece that would cost Tati not only his full force talent but also it would take 9 years to be made together with title of being France's the most expensive film ever made by 1967 and perhaps to this day still would be one of them and culminating with Jacques Tati's financial bankruptcy. It is hard to even imagine how Tati was able to finish such multilayered film like this where is so many things going on that if we blink our eyes we miss a small detail or another joke. The magnificent director not only uses of visual content to make or create a joke he also uses revolutionary sound effects to do just the something similar or sometimes even more effective. From the manager's very long walk on a hall that looks close but with the sound of his shoes approaching takes long time to reach the front lobby where Hulot waits to be interviewed or the sound from a small label tag in a briefcase on one of the important passenger that arrives on the airport scenes. Everything is precisely timed and even the geometrical lines of the new landscape that confronts modern vs old architecture just showing reflexes of 2 main Paris attractions the Eiffel tower and the Basilica of Sacre-Couer by a small reflex and glimpse telling us that the old architecture no longer belong on a near future. At end besides all the amazing intelligent humor after all it's one of the greatest classic French comedies with one main difference from their American counterparts that usually we watched with Coca-Cola and lots of popcorn. Tati's movie requires more views to be fully appreciated and for that we should watch eating caviar with a nice glass of wine… the finest French wine most likely. After all obstacles and difficulties and for our lucky Thank God he was able to finish the movie... and what a movie!

"Playtime" is a mid-20th century director's commentary on modern life. The exploration opens to the austerity and conformity of the commercial world, and then leaves that all behind to focus on the chaotic opening of an up-scale restaurant - the passive main male character weaves throughout. The visuals are an amazing time capsule, and there is a lot to unpack in the director's choices, but this may be better appreciated by students of cinema rather than the top-box-office viewer...

Playtime does have some strengths, but fails to live up to the hype. I don't mind a plotless movie once in a while, but other aspects have to be exceptional to compensate. Which they are clearly not. What's most frustrating is that the movie keeps wearing down instead of building up. The slapstick which feels fresh and original in the beginning, feels trivial and trite by the end. In the second half the movie mostly deteriorates into a sequence of senseless, overcrowded, chaotic shots in a restaurant, which is hardly alleviated by the few memorable slapstick moments in-between. Much of the humor is simply too naive. Some scenes - like the German guy grotesquely shouting and gesticulating for no apparent reason - almost made me cringe. Some of the better ones were extremely overused. When you see the logo of the restaurant imprinted on unsuspecting visitors' backs for the twentieth time, it feels silly instead of fun. Coming back to the strengths - the use of the exaggerated sounds is unique in a good way and cinematography is quite strong and original. But that's about it.

There is so much at play here - commentaries on identity, consumerism, isolation, distortion, but above all, confusion in an increasingly complicated world. Whaty makes it so unique is the masterful composition, balancing all these elements without feeling bloated and preserving a universality that could almost preserve the film's impact without subtitles. Putting it all together with a slick collection of visuals including some discreet sight gags (love the melting airplane) in the way that only a former mime could, Tati's prowess is on full display. (5/5)

This movie is intense! Only someone with an immaculate imagination and an unrelenting work-ethic could have made this movie. This is one of the most unique movies ever made, however, it doesn't make it easy to watch. I suggest watching it in multiple sittings because it just requires too much attention to watch it in a single sitting. Incredibly clever!

Playtime (sometimes written PlayTime) is a 1967 French-Italian comedy film directed by Jacques Tati. This engaging movie is a treat for the senses, both visual and aural. I was mesmerised by this film, which is almost experimental in nature. An achievement for its time and an outstanding effort by the director. 1001

Definitely a unique movie. Very well done, but might not be everyone's cup of tea.

Play Time was an ambitious flop that has managed to age well. Director and star Jacques Tati reprises his role as M. Hulot. Like M. Hulot's Holiday, Play Time has a listless story, but it is more appropriate here, as we see tourists and workers sightseeing and going about their business in a soulless suburb comprised of identical high rise buildings in Paris. (Tati built an actual town on the outskirts of Paris for the location!) They are oblivious to the culture a short distance away. Tati seems to be making a statement about the relentless pace of modern life and the homogenizing forces of globalization. The final sequence in a new restaurant where the construction crew swiftly changes itself into the wait staff, where one waiter gradually swaps all his clean clothes for his coworkers' ripped and soiled clothes, and a doorman continues to hold a brass handle and let people in and out after the glass door has shattered is masterful. Tati is 14 years older than he was in M. Hulot's Holiday, and he clearly doesn't have the physicality. He just slips a few times. But the film is more intriguing for its message. The gags aren't as obvious as his earlier film, but are more amusing. Play Time was his masterpiece.

I've heard only good things about this film, but I was kind of waiting for a disappointment. I gave it a go, a bit tired and felt half asleep. Then I rewinded the 30 minutes I lost. I'm glad I did. Monsieur Hulot wanders around in Paris. Stuff is high-tech. There are plenty of American tourists where he goes as they have arrived by bus and stops by the same thing he does. We are in a fabric landscape, or a sales center or something, with small booths everywhere where you can buy amazing things. Doors you can slam noiselessly for example and vacuum cleaners with lights for those dark surfaces. There are a lot of windows and glass here. Plenty of synchronisation and shapes. Later on, the film is kind of changing faces. We are in a restaurant-like nightclub or vice versa. This is the films greatest part for me. It's near and hour with constant build up of chaos. Some things are repeated, new faces comes in play. Guests, waiters, chefs - we get to know half of them as the place slowly is tearing apart as it was not totaly complete when it opened. Everything accompanied by cool music, hidden as a live band. Still, these two stories connects as the two leads meet here too - the wandering man, and the lovely American girl. This is a love story, this is a mess, this is something very special. I love the way scenes often makes little sense, without big laugs, still there is a lot of interesting things here that makes you smile. Original tricks and a very smooth pace and development that makes you float into it. I have not seen anything like it. It's smart, slow, weird, flat and very pretty. Some shots are just spellbinding and the camerahandling is amazing. Architecture stands as a big theme here, so is the art of film. This is like nothing else. There is also a huge finger pointed to the society here and it's still relevant I really felt I was at the party that the restaurant held. As an observer - there is a lot of things to observe here. 8.5 out of 10 glass windows.