There’s not nearly enough Jacques Tati in Fun Sunday!, or Gai dimanche! Tati co-wrote and co-stars with the circus artist Rhum (billed here as Rhum de Medrano), who gets more screen time but far less laughs. (Rhum had a much smaller part in Tati’s previous short, Brute Wanted.) The pair play down-on-their-luck friends who steal a jalopy and try to rip off tourists by charging them for aimless drives around the countryside. Tati is still working out the right economy for his brand of comedy (the setups are laborious, especially given the so-so payoffs). And while his lanky, clueless con man is an amusing contradiction, he’s overshadowed by Rhum’s boorish clowning, which is broad even for a comic short like this.
