Cherchez La Femme (Priceless (DVD))

Member Name: venice105

Product:	Priceless (DVD)
Date:	26/01/09 (144 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Enjoyable piece of cinematic French fancy

Disadvantages: Tautou in Chanel is annoyingly perfect?

I had wanted to see the French film Priceless at the cinema but missed it as these art house films sadly never linger for long. And so it went onto the high priority list of Lovefilm, tout de suite! "What is this?", asks hubby as I put the film on. "Does it have subtitles?" he sighs. Once I tell him it has Audrey Tautou in it, though, that shuts him up quick!

Priceless is a film set in the French Riviera, and tres jolie it is too. There is no Parisian langour or disaffection, it is immediately engaging and positively buzzing with energy. The luxurious universe of Riviera hotels is introduced, and we meet the hotel employee Jean (Gad Elmalah) walking the chiens of the hotel's patrons in a jazzy introduction.

Right from the off this film felt like a 60's French film to me, it is just so light and suave in every way. The colours are bold and everything is beautiful and glossy. Jean is struggling to manage his numerous duties when he meets the glamorous Irene (Audrey Tautou) and, in a case of mistaken/ disguised identities gets lucky indeed. Unfortunately for Jean, the girl he is smitten with is also a highly paid companion for rich older men, and she has little time for non-entities like him.

Tautou is far more worldly and calculating in this role than the sweet gamine many associate her with from Amelie. She does still possess that innocent doe eyed look however, which somehow makes her empathetic even when her character's behaviour is not. Her wardrobe is that of a sophisticated vamp, the clothes are absolutely stunning in this film (although mostly things no mere mortal could pull off!). She lives and breathes for all of the designer goodies she can amass, and just when she is on the verge of sealing her ultimate goal, bagging the rich man permanently, it all falls to pieces and she is forced to start over.

She blames Jean for foiling her, and cruelly takes unfair advantage of his willingness to please her. He is so hopelessly smitten with her that he seems aware of his futility yet still does anything he can to be with her. Of course Jean is charming and sweet and one can see that Tautou will have to give the boy a break at some point, mais non?

The two leads share a lovely chemistry in this film, I have seen Elmalah being compared to Buster Keaton and he does indeed have a silent film star quality to his acting, just incredibly sombre and poignant and charming all at once. The camera loves his untraditional looks, and as the film progresses you just fall for him completely.

According to Imdb his father was a mime so one cannot help but think this had some affect on Elmalah's own ability to express things silently. His character undergoes quite a transformation during the course of the film. To find a way to be around Irene he actually ends up doing what she does himself, and is surprisingly adept at it given his unassuming nature. This is an ironic and amusing twist that lightens the story enormously.

As they become cohorts and friends, the film trots along at a good pace and keeps its frothy tone throughout, despite the obvious seediness of their lifestyles/"professions". It has a very French, jazzy soundtrack which I quite enjoyed (a bit "Foux de fa fa" for any Flight of the Conchords fans!). There are moments when the true despair that Irene must feel at being in such a life are shown, but they are not dwelt on and overall there is a spirit of bon vivant, take what life throws at you and make the best of it. It helps that the rich people they are filching are only concerned with satisfying their own needs, often at the humiliation of their consorts.

Jean's lady friend who "takes care" of him is shown slightly more sympathetically at times, or maybe that is just me finding an older woman paying a young man to be with her inherently more sad than the reverse? She desperately tries to control him, but unlike Irene, Jean is not completely controlled by his desire to succeed, to capture completely, the prize of wealth and security. Of course it becomes clearer to Irene as the film progresses that maybe the satisfaction she seeks is impossible to find because happiness is not, alas, a Chanel dress, difficult as this is to believe!

The French Riviera is a luxurious backdrop to this film, the posh hotels are stiff with grandeur and pomposity. The comedy is that of the outsider in a world in which they don't belong, of the only people who appreciate their surroundings being the ones who don't belong there. Both characters are engaging, with Tautou perhaps having a more difficult role. She is a wounded soul, a scavenger who will do whatever she can to get what she wants. It is a slow progression for her and Tautou is admirable for not trying to make Irene the adorable waif, the victim. I think she shows far more range in this film than any other I have seen her in.

Elmalah is equally impressive, if only for being every bit as charismatic as Tatou with less God given beauty to work with. He initially seems like a sap, but his determination and willingness to do whatever it takes to get his own prize (Irene) is sweet and comi-tragic in turns. He learns a few tricks of his own and this is all done to very amusing effect.

I cannot recommend this film highly enough, it is unashamedly entertaining and that is a rarity in my experience in recent French cinema. My hubby really enjoyed it, too, and he is a bit of an oaf when it comes to subtitles! The journey of its characters is engaging and I was completely charmed by it (I am not easily charmed, believe it or not Amelie irritated me!). It is beautifully filmed and has a fantastic attention to detail.

It is sophisticated in its scope of human emotion and supplies a steady stream of humour. My only critique would be that the denouement is ever so slightly more clunky in execution than the rest of the film, but it is a very minor flaw in the grand scheme of such a lithe and enjoyable film. It is bubbly and light, like the best champagne, but it won't give you a hangover in the morning!

Summary: French romatic comedy a cut above the rest