We know from the start of André Is an Idiot that André’s cancer diagnosis is terminal. His best friend Tim invites him to go for a couple’s colonoscopy for their fiftieth birthday, but even for someone as eccentric as André, that was a bridge too far. He put it off, as part of his motto, “No Cops, No Doctors.” He uses his Peloton, loses weight, but also regularly has blood in his stool. He has a telehealth appointment, and the doctor suggests that it’s just hemorrhoids from riding the bike, so André keeps going.
When he finally does go for a colonoscopy, the doctor is unable to complete the test because of how large the tumors are in his colon. The scans eventually show that André has stage four colon cancer, meaning it has spread to multiple areas, making it inoperable. He begins chemotherapy, and while it does a number on his wild and voluminous locks, he mostly avoids many of the negative side effects of the treatment. With his wife and daughters by his side, he is able to keep a sunny attitude throughout his time on chemo.
André and his wife, Janice, met at a bar and married without dating. She needed a green card, and he was the kind of guy who was up for anything. In trying to prepare for their immigration hearing, they decided to go on The Newlywed Show, figuring that if they knew each other well enough to compete there, they could surely pass anything that the immigration board might want to know. Despite both dating other people at the time, they fell in love and ended up marrying and having two daughters, Tallula and Delilah.
André’s profession was in advertising, and as his disease progressed, he looked for ways to advertise for colonoscopies in his final years. Using the “secret butthole” brand of photography, he and his friends create an amazing PSA about this treatment, reminding people how important it is to seek regular medical tests to avoid his fate. Despite the grim reality of André’s disease, he and his friends are able to create something that is both funny and helpful going forward.
We see some of André’s work in the movie, as many of the unfilmed stories are recreated in stop-motion animation using various dolls. These add so much joy and entertainment to stories that are, by and large, kind of awful. The ability to find humor in even the most dire situations makes the 88-minute run time absolutely scream by.
The dichotomy between the humor and verve André expresses, juxtaposed with his obviously deteriorating body over the course of the movie, is what makes André Is an Idiot such a compelling film. In one moment, we have him joking with Tim that he wants to make sure that he still has a f*ckable corpse, and then the next, he is lying in the desert contemplating the nothingness of death.
Much of the film is spent watching André try to figure out ways to avoid death. Maybe a head transplant. Maybe cryogenics. He goes on a retreat where “death yells” help people sort out their final words. It can be hard to figure out if these are simple distractions from his inevitable end, or if they are things that he actually has an interest in. André was very clearly a funky guy, and it’s sometimes hard to suss out quite how he feels about what is going on. Despite his talk about authenticity, there is a clear discomfort with the idea of leaving his wife and daughters that underpins almost everything he does.
The relationship between André and his daughters is shown throughout André Is an Idiot, but is not dwelt on through much of the movie. The girls call him by his first name and explain that they aren’t a hugging family. When his oldest daughter leaves for college, they say goodbye by flipping each other the bird, rather than a long, emotional event. But as his time draws closer to the end, we see some more traditional forms of affection being shared as the seriousness of his condition becomes more apparent. That small change in demeanor adds a layer to the film that is truly heartbreaking and lovely.
Dying is often sad, difficult work. There are physical changes that one must endure, not to mention the mental load of trying to make sure that your loved ones will be okay after you’re gone. André Is an Idiot is a film about dying, but more than that, it is a film about making the most out of every day you’re alive. And a reminder to schedule your colonoscopy today.
André Is an Idiot will be in theaters on March 7, 2026.
Learn more about the film at the IMDB site for the film.
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