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Poll: A Quotable French Classic Named "Ridicule"

A poll by ElMaruecan82.
*** IN MEMORY OF BELOVED FRENCH ACTOR Jean Rochefort (1930-2017) ***

Ridicule (1996) is one of my all-time favorite French movies, its international tag-line says : "Wit the ultimate weapon" while in French, it is : "Ridiculousness can kill". Both got it right.

In a nutshell, this is the story of a poor French lord who, in order to get royal backing must learn to play the games of wit at Versailles' court. But I like one IMDb user's description better : "In the periwigged and opulent France of Louis XVI, an unwitting nobleman soon discovers that survival at court demands both a razor wit and an acid tongue." Indeed, one good word can open the doors, one too many can shut them down forever.

Being a fan of quotes-related polls, I couldn't resist, for this is probably one of the wittiest and smartest screenplays ever written full of one-liners and witty quotes you could use in social occasions. All the quotes from the film that were not lost in translation, are featured in this list, I hope you'll have a good read before voting and that this poll will make you want to see the film.

Which of these "Ridicule" quotes is your favorite?

After voting, Monsieur, Madame... or Mademoiselle, discutez ici. And merci!

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Make Your Choice

  1. Vote!

    Judith Godrèche and Charles Berling in Ridicule (1996)

    "- I must say I'm surprised you're attending his funeral.
    • Well, I'd rather have buried him alive... but God is our master"
  2. Vote!

    Fanny Ardant, Charles Berling, and Urbain Cancelier in Ridicule (1996)

    "He's seeing visitors right now, you'll recognize him... by his widow."
  3. Vote!

    Charles Berling in Ridicule (1996)

    "Do you know Versailles?
    • I was born here by chance.
    • Oh, a courtier by birth.
    • Not everyone born in a stable would think he's a horse."
  4. Vote!

    Fanny Ardant and Bernard Giraudeau in Ridicule (1996)

    "Remember, Monsieur, peasants not only feed mosquitoes but aristocrats."
  5. Vote!

    Charles Berling in Ridicule (1996)

    "He's smarter than he looks.
    • And that's the whole difference between us, Monsieur.
  6. Vote!

    Fanny Ardant, Patrice Leconte, and Jean Rochefort in Ridicule (1996)

    "Sorry, it's the only example that comes to my mind.
    • You mean 'to your mouth'!"
  7. Vote!

    Charles Berling in Ridicule (1996)

    "It's easier to die for a woman than to find one worth dying for."
  8. Vote!

    Fanny Ardant, Charles Berling, and Urbain Cancelier in Ridicule (1996)

    "''Befat''? Droll language for an Academy assessor.
    • Don't be surprised. Don't they leave the harem to the eunuch?"
  9. Vote!

    Fanny Ardant in Ridicule (1996)

    "Why not go to a brothel? The good company there isn't bad and the "bad company" is... excellent."
  10. Vote!

    Charles Berling in Ridicule (1996)

    "Labor is when a wife sleeps with her husband."
  11. Vote!

    Charles Berling in Ridicule (1996)

    "Personally, I no longer consort with whores, they're as depraved as society ladies."
  12. Vote!

    Judith Godrèche and Charles Berling in Ridicule (1996)

    "Asking a man about his wife is like asking about last year's fashions."
  13. Vote!

    Fanny Ardant, Patrice Leconte, and Jean Rochefort in Ridicule (1996)

    "Why do women's confessors always end up archbishops?"
  14. Vote!

    Fanny Ardant, Patrice Leconte, and Jean Rochefort in Ridicule (1996)

    "If the sinner lacks wit, the confessor atones for it."
  15. Vote!

    Judith Godrèche in Ridicule (1996)

    "What good is wit? Without it, one is never bored."
  16. Vote!

    Fanny Ardant in Ridicule (1996)

    "A man of wit who says less, isn't thought less of.
    • A silent fool is none the wiser."
  17. Vote!

    Fanny Ardant and Charles Berling in Ridicule (1996)

    "I only sleep with virgins, but I pay dearly for a treasure any man's got the key to.""
  18. Vote!

    Fanny Ardant and Bernard Giraudeau in Ridicule (1996)

    "Don't denounce the dull. Without plains, there would be no peaks."
  19. Vote!

    Fanny Ardant in Ridicule (1996)

    "Wit is the opposite of money. The less we have, the more satisfying."
  20. Vote!

    Charles Berling in Ridicule (1996)

    "We're judged by the company we keep.
    • And we're wrong, Monsieur. Judas kept excellent company."
  21. Vote!

    Judith Godrèche and Charles Berling in Ridicule (1996)

    "The soul of wit is to know one's place."
  22. Vote!

    Fanny Ardant, Charles Berling, and Urbain Cancelier in Ridicule (1996)

    "Come. Show us. Be witty this minute! Use me, for example.
    • Sire, the king is not a subject."
  23. Vote!

    Fanny Ardant and Bernard Giraudeau in Ridicule (1996)

    (last lines) "My hat! I've lost my hat!
    • Better your hat than your head?
    • Ah, humor!"

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