Larger than life in all conceivable ways, Gérard Depardieu can be a disruptive, unsteadying presence in films which fail to cater to the fact that he brings generous helping of Depardieu to any role he plays.

Constance Meyer’s highly enjoyable Critics’ Week opener Robuste not only takes this on board, it runs with it, casting Depardieu as Georges, an ageing French actor with a tendency to crash motorbikes and to embark on drunken misadventures.

“France without meat isn’t France,” he grumbles at one point, which is possibly the most Depardieu thing that anyone has ever said.

The film’s secret weapon, however, is Déborah Lukumuena, supremely assured as Aïssa, the temporary security guard with whom Georges forges a grudging friendship.

French with English subtitles