Le Petit Nicolas

Let’s talk about siblings. There are times that you hate them and times that you love them. If you push a little bit further, you’ll probably admit that the idea of murder may have cropped up from time to time, or the idea that a sudden disappearance might work out best. If you’re the younger one, often following orders or getting left behind, things can get on your nerves. The truth is that there is never much that you can do, unless you are the visionary and mighty little Nicolas.

I still remember the first time that my sister handed me a volume of the famous adventures of little Nicolas and to this day I’ve remained grateful. She showed me the best possible way to spend my summers as a kid. Little Nicolas is a gifted child, smart and funny who tends to get into trouble — not in an old-fashioned way, but in a very creative and interesting way. Nicolas and his friends’ characters become the kids that you would love to hang out with. Little Nicolas is written by René Goscinny, also famous as the co-creator of the Astérix series. As a series of books, Little Nicolas stands out for its distinct sense of humour, while the moral messages of its story are equally important in the evolvement of the plot.

The central characters reflect the distinguished characters that everyone is bound to have crossed by throughout school days and early life. From Clotaire, who is one of the worst possible students to Agnan – the teacher’s pet, support the plot and makes the reader find himself laughing out loud.

It’s quite clear that the books raised the bar quite high. For this reason, it took me by surprise when I saw how well they managed to reproduce all the characters that accompanied me through my childhood so effectively in the adaptation. The casting was perfect and all the kids managed to fulfil the expectations I formed while I was reading the books.

The plot of the movie is driven by the fact that Nicolas is intimidated by the knowledge that he might have a baby brother. In order to avoid this, he decides to call the mafia to abduct him. Soon he realizes that he has to pay a great deal of money, so he gets his friends together to come up with an ingenious plan to pay his dues.

There is no way that you won’t enjoy this movie and there is no doubt that it’s worth reading Little Nicolas. This remarkable series has proven to be more contemporary than the majority of children’s books in bookshops today, and the adaptation provides pleasurable viewing and an honorary addition to Nicolas’s adventures.