It’s the usual story: hooker meets valet, hooker thinks valet’s a millionaire, hooker and valet screw each other over, valet becomes gigolo to impress hooker… sparks fly.
Okay, so maybe it’s not quite that simple, but giving everything away would diminish the fun of what is, essentially, a wonderfully put-together French farce.
Directed by Pierre Salvatori, the film is one extravagant location, one dazzling outfit after another. It’s eye-candy at its best, beautiful, yet fun and flirty at the same time.
Audrey Tautou (Amélie) plays the girl – Iréne – a money-grubbing babe who picks up rich men and sticks around long enough to get a marriage out of them. Comedy is clearly Tautou’s forte, and though she is a little shrill at times, her flirtations and temper tantrums are a delight to watch.
Gad Elmaleh is a perfect sounding board to her scheming ways. His valet-turned-toyboy Jean is wonderfully expressive, not to mention brilliant at slapstick and physical comedy.
But if anyone steals the show, it’s Jean’s sugar-mummy Madeleine (Marie-Christine Adam), who is an utter delight as she manipulates her young lover, her facial expressions alone carrying the movie from amusing rom-com into delightful farce.
Priceless is a sumptuous, guilty pleasure, required viewing for those of us who have become disillusioned with the state of Hollywood romance and seeking a much better way to fill a couple of hours. It’s forgettable, but is a joy while it lasts and a stunning piece of eye-candy.
Okay, so maybe it’s not quite that simple, but giving everything away would diminish the fun of what is, essentially, a wonderfully put-together French farce.
Directed by Pierre Salvatori, the film is one extravagant location, one dazzling outfit after another. It’s eye-candy at its best, beautiful, yet fun and flirty at the same time.
Audrey Tautou (Amélie) plays the girl – Iréne – a money-grubbing babe who picks up rich men and sticks around long enough to get a marriage out of them. Comedy is clearly Tautou’s forte, and though she is a little shrill at times, her flirtations and temper tantrums are a delight to watch.
Gad Elmaleh is a perfect sounding board to her scheming ways. His valet-turned-toyboy Jean is wonderfully expressive, not to mention brilliant at slapstick and physical comedy.
But if anyone steals the show, it’s Jean’s sugar-mummy Madeleine (Marie-Christine Adam), who is an utter delight as she manipulates her young lover, her facial expressions alone carrying the movie from amusing rom-com into delightful farce.
Priceless is a sumptuous, guilty pleasure, required viewing for those of us who have become disillusioned with the state of Hollywood romance and seeking a much better way to fill a couple of hours. It’s forgettable, but is a joy while it lasts and a stunning piece of eye-candy.
(Released 5th April, 2007 - some theatres)
No comments:
Post a Comment