Fill 'er up with Super

Women seem to be alternately fascinated and horrified by the mysteries of male-bonding.  Perhaps because men themselves can’t be bothered.  We love, hate, embrace, envy, forgive and forget with the same self-centered, unselfconsciousness we were born with.  I can’t speak for all men, but I can predict that another one wouldn’t take the time to correct me.  And that’s the sneaky appeal of 1976’s French road movie Le Plein de Super (Fill ‘er Up with Super), an off-the-cuff comedy that captures the burgeoning friendship between four men who find solace in their temporary camaraderie.

 Klouk and Philippe have just begun their cross-country journey to deliver a Chevy station wagon to its wealthy owner on the coast when they’re all-but hijacked by Charles and Daniel, hard-up and romantically-challenged roommates who come along for the ride.  What begins as a tense trip in close quarters evolves into an opportunity for each passenger to let their guard down, exposing personal truths, inner demons and lots of dick jokes.

 

Directed by Alain Cavalier in a causal but controlled post-New Wave style, Fill ‘er Up with Super develops a relationship with its audience in much that same way as its characters do with each other.  There’s a natural evolution to the film that never forces the issue.  It’s clear that all four men are desperate for a connection, and their collective blind spots make for an all-too realistic take on male relationships.  But there’s also a genuineness at work that turns the film into a celebration of the sex’s strength and weaknesses.

 

As a road movie, Cavalier makes sure to include the expected comic detours and drive-by misadventures.  But the visit to Daniel’s estranged son encapsulates everything in a perfectly contrarian climax…even allowing the five-year-old some dick jokes of his own.  Fill ‘er Up with Super attempts to make a case for the twisted and sometimes toxic value of “bro culture” – and from a feminist point of view, perhaps one too many excuses – but does so with an honesty rarely captured on film.

 

Released on a superb-looking new Limited-Edition Blu-ray from Radiance Films, extras include three recent short documentary films from Cavalier, a new interview with star Bernard Crombey, video appreciation by Cahiers du Cinema editor Charlotte Garson and insert booklet with new writing on the film.

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