The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
Too Shy to Try
Romance · Comedy · 1978
Pierre is a hotel cashier in Vichy, so shy that he answers an ad from the Psychology Institute and can't say no to the salesman, Aldo; he spends 6,000 francs on tapes, books, and a punching bag. Soon after, he's smitten by Agnes, a hotel guest with a model's looks and photographers wherever she goes. When she leaves for Nice, he follows, meeting Aldo on the way. Aldo becomes his boldness coach. Pierre gets a job washing dishes where Agnes is staying, but after a week or so, she's off to Deauville, with Aldo and Pierre in pursuit. Using funds they get by selling Aldo's car, this time Pierre poses as a polo-playing jet setter. Will this win the heart of Agnes?
Movie details
Too Shy to Try
1978 Romance · Comedy 1h 28m
Critical arithmetic
The consensus, allegedly.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
IMDb
6.4 / 10
1.7K votes
TMDB
6.4 / 10
Community rating
External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.
Pierre is a hotel cashier in Vichy, so shy that he answers an ad from the Psychology Institute and can't say no to the salesman, Aldo; he spends 6,000 francs on tapes, books, and a punching bag. Soon after, he's smitten by Agnes, a hotel guest with a model's looks and photographers wherever she goes. When she leaves for Nice, he follows, meeting Aldo on the way. Aldo becomes his boldness coach. Pierre gets a job washing dishes where Agnes is staying, but after a week or so, she's off to Deauville, with Aldo and Pierre in pursuit. Using funds they get by selling Aldo's car, this time Pierre poses as a polo-playing jet setter. Will this win the heart of Agnes?
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Too Shy to Try?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Pierre Richard
Written by
Jean-Jacques Annaud · Pierre Richard · Alain Godard
Pierre Richard
Pierre Renaud
Aldo Maccione
Aldo Ferrari
Jacques François
Mr. Henri
Mimi Coutelier
Agnès Jensen
Catherine Lachens
La camionneuse
Robert Castel
Trinita, le joueur de pétanque
Jacques Fabbri
Le routier
Court is in session
Put Too Shy to Try on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.