A Spot of Bother

A Spot of Bother (Une petite zone de turbulences, 2010) is a French family comedy directed by Alfred Lot — watch online on iFILM. Adapted from the Mark Haddon novel of the same name, it follows Jean-Pierre, a newly retired hypochondriac who finds a spot on his thigh and quietly concludes he's dying. He's been dying periodically for years.

While Jean-Pierre wrestles with his imaginary cancer, everything else at home unravels in parallel: his wife is having an affair with his former colleague, his daughter Cathy is about to marry someone her gay brother Mathieu calls "Brainless," and Mathieu himself has just been left. Michel Blanc plays the hypochondriac anchor with weary precision — oddly sympathetic by the third act. A light French farce built on tight ensemble timing and a sense of proportion that keeps it from tipping into farce for its own sake. Stream A Spot of Bother online on iFILM.