As a revving engine opens Fill er up with Super, co-writer/director Alain Cavalier highlights the vehicular linchpin to the unfolding story. Car salesman Klouk (Bernard Crombey) is initially seen dealing with a prospective seller, combating every query which attempts to lower the asking price for a desired car. After a test drive, Klouk’s boss informs him that he must deliver a luxury Chevrolet station wagon to a wealthy client the next day.
Aware that declining this favour would risk losing his job, tensions rise between Klouk and his wife as this means he will miss a family holiday. He decides to take his friend Philippe (Xavier Saint-Macary) along with him for the journey, which is expanded by them picking up hitchhiker, Charles (Etienne Chicot), and his friend Daniel (Patrick Bouchitey).
The loose story hinges on its central characters, which is aided by how well-defined they each are. Free-spirited Phillipe has casual dalliances which involve showering in front of men for money and reconnecting with his ex, while also getting to the heart of his friend. Klouk is described as someone who was more fun when single, now resembling a zombie. This is due to the car salesman’s constant attempts to appease the customer leaving him drained and impacting his personal life. A highlight involves a drug-induced phone call which strips away the prim and proper façade Klouk adopted for his job.
Tensions initially rise between them and the passengers who barge their way onto the journey. The intensity and short-tempered nature of Charles is highlighted in his first scene, as he’s introduced attempting to blackmail his father-in-law, while the impetuous Daniel constantly plays the victim while struggling to deal with a breakup. As these men spend more time together, the crumbling walls of masculinity leave them to bond over their favourite sex positions and share their vulnerabilities.
Each man is grappling with their own problem and, while the trip doesn’t magically offer solutions, the sweet friendships ease the troubles weighing on their mind. There are some childish patterns they may not escape, yet the quartet grow in their own ways courtesy of their strengthened bonds. As the final scene shows them exchanging solutions to a personal problem, it’s heartfelt to see how much the journey has left them caring for each other and left audiences caring for them. It’s a charming way to close off this film which has been caringly restored by Radiance.
Fill ‘er Up with Super (1976) is out now on Radiance Films Blu-Ray
James’s Archive: Fill er Up With Super (1976)
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