Le Schpountz

Le Schpountz is in French with subtitles.  'Schpountz' is a slang term used by a film crew in this movie to refer to someone who has an unreasonably high opinion of how he might fare in the world of cinema.  The trademark of the schpountz is that he is blind to anything that does not agree with his self delusion, and can easily be made a target of jokes.

While travelling near Marseille, the film crew runs across Irénée, who is working in his uncle's grocery.  Irénée is an incredible schpountz, and they proceed to lead him on while laughing behind his back.  After signing a fake contract, gullible Irénée follows them back to their film studio in Paris, where he keeps sneaking in to meet the studio head.  The gang finally embarrasses him so much that even he notices, and he gives up acting to take a job in the prop department.  After a year he is given another chance at acting and accidentally becomes a huge success as a comic actor.

Watching this was a little like watching a silent film, since I had to read all the dialog and Irénée always used such exaggerated expressions.  It took awhile but this movie did grow on me.  No familiar faces in this one.

Schpountz sounds more like "spoon" than "pound".

Irénée mourns the fact that his acting is perceived as comedy.