The Carriers Are Waiting (Les Convoyeurs Attendent) is a 1999 French-Belgian-Swiss comedy-drama film directed by Benoît Mariage, starring Benoît Poelvoorde.
The Carriers Are Waiting provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Roger forces his son Michel to try to break a world record, because he would like to win a car. When his son fails, he flies into a rage. He does not treat well her daughter Louise either: he forces her to dance and to recite her poem in front of people. He ruins her birthday party too.
- Altar the Speed: Jocelyne and Michel have to get married quickly, because Jocelyne is pregnant. So the ceremony takes place in the hospital, with Michel in a coma.
- Bittersweet Ending : Michel did not break the world record, and his father did not win the car, but Michel comes out of a coma and the whole family can celebrate Y2K.
- Cigar Chomper: Roger always smokes cigarillos.
- Convenient Coma: Michel finally comes out of a coma.
- Deliberately Monochrome: In harmony with the general tone of the film.
- Dumb Is Good: Félix, who is described as mentally retarded, is very kind towards Louise. In the end, he even sells his champion pigeon to help his neighbours.
- Elvis Impersonator: One is hired to try to get Michel out of a coma.
- Guinness Episode: The main plot of the film is about Roger who wants his son Michel to break a world record.
- Happily Failed Suicide: Michel drives a car into a tree, but he does not die. He goes into a coma. When he gets out of it, he is happy to live. The fact that he will soon have a child maybe helps.
- Industrial Ghetto: The film is set in the suburbs of Charleroi, an industrial city in Belgium.
- It's All About Me: Roger does not seem to realize how bad he behaves towards his family. At some point, he says openly that he does not care about his son's wishes.
- Jerkass: Roger is for sure not a nice guy. He is not a good father. He also makes fun of his mentally retarded neighbour.
- Make a Wish: Louise makes a wish before blowing her birthday cake candles out. It is implied she wants her brother to come out of a coma. Her wish is granted immediately.
- New Year Has Come: The story ends with the celebration for the year 2000.
- Pet the Dog: Roger is a selfish jerkass for most of the film, but he sometimes cares for others: he buys a balloon to consolate Louise; he tries many things to get his son out of a coma.
- Shout-Out: Michel discusses on the radio about the film Thieves (Les Voleurs, 1996). Later, Michel and Louise watch Pédale douce (1996) on TV.
- Stage Mom: Gender-inverted. Roger wants his son to break a world record.
- Teen Pregnancy: Jocelyne gets pregnant from her relationship with Michel.
- Terminology Title: "Les convoyeurs attendent" ("The carriers are waiting") is an expression used in pigeon racing: it means that the people who carry the pigeons have to wait before releasing them because of the bad weather.
- Trophy Room: Félix has one with the trophies won by his champion pigeon.
- Villainous Breakdown: Roger, when Michel has to give up the competition, because he is too tired. He flies into a rage.
