In Bertrand Tavernier’s adaptation of a hit graphic novel, the foreign minister of the title is Alexandre Taillard de Worms (Thierry Lhermitte). Aiding de Worms are innocent newbie Arthur de Vlaminck (Raphaël Personnaz) and Claude Maupas, the indispensable aide played by the indispensable Niels Arestrup.
De Worms is none too bright and a major diva. His tantrum over office supplies — “I can’t face the US State Department with a mushy highlighter!” — would do Justin Bieber proud. The power behind the highlighter is Maupas. As de Worms mangles a lunch with a Nobel Prize-winning writer (Jane Birkin), Arestrup gets a huge laugh just by quietly tapping his fingers.
The plot riffs on the run-up to the Iraq war (footage of George W. Bush is included for those who, like de Worms, have trouble grasping the obvious). Certain French in-jokes may be lost on Americans, such as Julie Gayet as a double-crossing Africa specialist. Gayet is — or was, the situation is fluid — the object of President François Hollande’s illicit affections.
It’s pleasant, and at times very funny, but the meandering episodes mean that despite the long running time, the satire never builds to a payoff. The conclusion feels too good-natured after nearly two hours of a minister who would need typed instructions to butter a baguette.