Penny Pincher!
A miserly Frenchman discovers that the one responsibility he cannot budget for is fatherhood.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- None
- breezy
- witty
- warm
- lazy sunday
- light comedy night
What critics said
Critics found a handful of decent laughs but broadly agreed that the comedy loses momentum midway and relies on a weak third-act twist.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
François Gautier saves all his money and organizes his life around avoiding expense, making stinginess the central comic engine.
François's carefully controlled existence is disrupted when he discovers that he has a daughter.
The protagonist's compulsive money-saving behavior generates the film's comic situations and relationship conflicts.
The critical reception specifically identifies a third-act twist as the mechanism that makes the final act happen.
Films like Penny Pincher!, and why
The Family Man
Shares a fish out of water setup, broad family comedy, and a self-centered protagonist forced into unexpected responsibility.
Instructions Not Included
Both are warm but formulaic comedies about emotionally guarded men whose domestic lives are disrupted by family revelations.
The Dinner Game
Comparable for its French comic sensibility, relationship-driven humor, and protagonist whose rigid self-interest is challenged by an unexpected bond.
Movie Details
- Director
- Fred Cavayé
- Release Date
- 2016-09-28
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 5.6 / 10 (961)
Cast
- Dany Boon
- Laurence Arné
- Noémie Schmidt
- Patrick Ridremont
- Karina Marimon
- Nicolas Lumbreras
- Christophe Canard
- Christophe Favre
- Stéphan Wojtowicz
- Anne-Sophie Girard
Common questions
- What is Penny Pincher! about?
- A miserly Frenchman discovers that the one responsibility he cannot budget for is fatherhood.
- What is Penny Pincher! like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Penny Pincher! as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Penny Pincher! violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Penny Pincher!.
- What did critics think of Penny Pincher!?
- Critics found a handful of decent laughs but broadly agreed that the comedy loses momentum midway and relies on a weak third-act twist.
- Which films are like Penny Pincher!?
- Films with a similar feel include The Family Man, Instructions Not Included, and The Dinner Game.
- How long is Penny Pincher!?
- Penny Pincher! runs 89 minutes.
