JACK MIMOUN. In his film Jack Mimoun and the secrets of Val Verde, Malik Bentalha pays homage to the cinema of the 80s, particularly that of Steven Spielberg, while bringing his characteristic comic touch.
[Mis à jour le 12 octobre 2022 à 11h20] Released in cinemas on October 12, 2022, Jack Mimoun and the secrets of Val Verde is the first production of comedian Malik Bentalha, known for his stand-up shows but also his roles in the cinema (Taxi 5, Pattaya, Robin Hood, Sonic 1 and 2). He co-directed this comic adventure feature film with Ludovic Colbeau-Justin, to whom we owe Le Lion with Dany Boon and Philippe Katerine. Together, the two directors wish to pay homage to the genre of adventure movie of the 80s. We obviously think of the Indiana Jones saga, but also of Jumanji or even the Goonies, all of the inspirations assumed by Malik Bentalha.
In an interview for NRJ, the director-actor explains that Jack Mimoun is “a childhood dream” but not only, it is also a tribute to the films of his childhood. “It’s a declaration of love for these films. I pay homage to them, I don’t parody them, unlike many genre films that are sometimes made in France.” “I had this idea in mind since I was little. For me, cinema is adventure, it’s travel. It’s popcorn cinema of the 80s. It’s Spielberg.” However, it is a cinematographic genre that we dare not experiment in France because it is expensive, as Malik Bentalha explains at BFM: “We tend to give up for budgetary reasons because we say to ourselves that we will never be able to line up with American super-productions. I was lucky to come across producers who were crazy enough to take the bet!”
For the release of Jack Mimoun and the secrets of Val Verde, Malik Bentalha spoke to 20 Minutes about his inspirations for the film: “The inspiration for the film is the living legend Steven Spielberg with all its masterpieces: Indiana Jones and later Jurassic Park. There were other inspirations: The Goonies, In pursuit of the green diamond, Jumanji…” He says that, in the film, he is keen to pay tribute to his models. “I try to find treasures by taking myself for Harrison Ford, or I try to find an underground that would take me in a pirate world like in the Goonies. That’s what made me dream.”
Synopsis – It was by extricating himself from the island of Val Verde that the adventurer Jack Mimoun became a hero. Two years later, he is the author of a bestseller and has his television show. Until the day when Aurélie Diaz, a fan of the character, contacts him to help him find a treasure. Indeed the latter wishes to go to the island of Val Verde in search of the legendary Sword of the pirate La Buse. And faced with the danger she faces, she chooses Jack as the bravest adventurer she could think of. To accompany them, a shock team with Bruno Quézac, the manager and the mercenary Jean-Marc Bastos…
