Nicolas Ribowski's short film Evening Classes (1967) is solely built around Jacques Tati's famous character, Mr. Hulot. The director lets Tati loose for long takes in which he demonstrates his wide range of acting capabilities by teaching an acting class for eager (but hilariously dumb) students.
The film relies solely on the gags within the 30-minute running time and they are clearly hit-or-miss. Whenever Tati has nothing to do, the film is a real letdown because the other actors simply can't keep up with his great performance. The direction lacks the same sort of inspiration although it's rewarding because it gives most of its attention for Tati's performance by not distracting the viewer from it.
If anything, Evening Classes is a nice extra for the Criterion release of Tati's Playtime (1967).
Score: 6 out of 10
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