Ducobu Goes Green on TFX: Ecology as a Way to Skip Class

A gap year to save the planet… and, above all, avoid classes: that’s the plan in Ducobu Goes Green, airing on TFX. This French comedy by Élie Semoun, released in France on April 3, 2024, is the fifth film in the franchise and sees Damien Pauwels play Saint-Potache’s class dunce.

A new school year kicks off at Saint-Potache, and Ducobu is already plotting how to dodge class. When he spots the path of a young environmental activist, the famous trickster hatches a new plan: pose as a defender of the planet to snag a sabbatical year. But Mr. Latouche knows his pupil well enough to doubt this sudden burst of awareness.

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This pretend eco-mission, however, ends up pulling Ducobu into something a lot more concrete. With his classmates, he has to defend a green space threatened by a real estate project, all while trying to win back Léonie’s trust. The film uses environmental concerns as the starting point for another round of lies, schemes, and clashes with the Saint-Potache schoolteacher.

Elie Semoun returns to the role of Gustave Latouche, while also portraying the teacher’s mother. He also directs and co-writes the screenplay with Guy Laurent and Marc de Chauveron. Inspired by the comic books by Godi and Zidrou, the saga keeps its core drivers: Ducobu’s cheat sheets, his rivalry with Latouche, and the friction between his self-proclaimed laziness and Léonie’s seriousness.

For more, check out our selection of films, series and shows to watch on TV this week, our guide to new releases across all platforms and today’s picks in What to watch streaming today.

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