Jacques Tati makes being one of the top slapstick geniuses in cinema look easy in this light and airy introduction to his signature Monsieur Hulot character. Hulot is that stumbler and bumbler who sets off trouble constantly, but who, curiously, few around him seem to notice (idea for a crackpot theory article: Hulot in this film is really a ghost, haunting this film’s cozy beach-side resort). The setting is summer vacation time by the ocean. There’s no drama, nothing at stake and no plot. The moment anyone tries to be serious, whether it’s the French President giving a radio address or a young Marxist blowhard, they get shut down and smothered in the film’s buttercream frosting. Everyone else is here to relax. Meanwhile, writer/director Tati is hard at work shooting beautiful views of the scenery, crafting classic visual gags (some of which depend on the behavior of dogs, horses and the tide) and generally keeping the film’s sugary meringue good and fluffy. It’s a disarmingly lovely work.