With cannibalism being strictly verboten, most filmmakers understandably approach the topic with gravity. Meanwhile, Fabrice Eboué’s Some Like It Rare (originally Barbaque) prefers to be irreverent. The only overcooked thing about this French comedy is maybe a piece of meat. There are more laughs than thrills here, yet it’s the distinct and effective sense of humor that makes the grisly subject matter all the more palatable.

This delicious slab of laughs begins with the central characters being dealt another setback in life; vegan activists vandalize their butcher shop. The damage ruins most of the meat products, and even worse, the culprits are never arrested. Sophie Pascal (Marina Foïs) was already unhappy with her marriage, and now she has to face the possibility of going bankrupt. Soon after she asks her husband Vincent (Eboué) for a separation, he hastily runs over one of the vegans who ruined their shop. Afraid of what might happen if the police are involved, Vincent then takes the body home.

The ridiculousness of Some Like It Rare starts to set in as Vincent chops up the vegan roadkill back at the butcher shop. Sophie urges him to do so after remembering a true crime case she saw on TV (she does this a lot throughout the movie). The original plan was to dispose of the body parts along with expired animal meat, but Sophie unknowingly sells some of the victim to a customer. Good word of mouth quickly spreads throughout Melun, and everyone now wants a piece of this irresistible “Iranian ham.”

It doesn’t take much effort for the Pascals to go full-on cannibal. One bite of the taboo ham and Sophie is utterly hooked, whereas Vincent takes some convincing. His full turnaround happens once he realizes there’s more at stake than human steak. If he doesn’t go along with the new business plan, Vincent may very well lose Sophie forever. So as the owners of the struggling boucherie experience their bizarre windfall, they also start to fall in love again.

The comedy shown in Some Like It Rare is typically dry, yet the “hunting” moments are physical and inane. The scenes of Vincent seizing his prey are cartoonish and violent, though the butchery seen during the aftermath is surprisingly detailed and gory. Eboué keeps the gruesome bits relatively light by having the couple smile and joke their way through the slaughter. In turn, the audience can’t help but laugh with them. Maybe even start to feel happy for Vincent and Sophie’s rekindled romance.

As the nature of these kinds of stories dictates, the initial high is fleeting. The Pascals are intoxicated by cannibalism, success, and, most of all, love. However, once the euphoria wears off and reality sets back in, everything changes again. Sophie is still intent on keeping her new diet, but Vincent sees the error of his ways and sobers up. The comedown doesn’t hit quite as hard as it does in other similar narratives. Then again, Some Like It Rare is never harsh. That’s not to say it lacks weight; the movie simply doesn’t have a taste for severe or drawn-out drama. It would seem strange to drastically change the tone at this point.

Fabrice Eboué and Marina Foïs are fantastic in their respective roles. Eboué, who’s wearing three hats here, plays the straight man of this odd couple. He captures Vincent’s range of emotions with skill and insight. There’s a visible transformation in the previously reserved Vincent as he succumbs to his new dietary lifestyle and enjoys his mended marriage. While it’s indeed there, Eboué never explicitly explains his character’s pathos. As for Foïs, she plays the more complicated of the two protagonists. From the start, Sophie is a tricky character study, and she only becomes more difficult to grasp as the movie continues. A viewer might be inclined to dismiss her as one-dimensional, but Sophie is more complex than Vincent only because she doesn’t entirely know what she wants.

The most notable flaw of the movie could be its sudden ending; the audience isn’t left hanging, but they’ll likely want more closure. Someone open to both cannibal horror and absurd comedy is still urged to watch. Some Like It Raw will undoubtedly satisfy a craving for something dark and weird without ever feeling too heavy.

Some Like It Rare  is available for Digital rental starting on October 14.