PRICELESS is the perfect word to describe the warm & sexy charm of Audrey Tautou, star of this slight but delightful French farce from 2006, also starring the winning Gad Elmaleh, a gift to comedy hailing from Morocco. He’s a barman in a ritzy hotel who is mistaken by golddigging Audrey as a man of wealth. He plays along—wouldn’t you? Later, after some cheery shenanigans, reality surfaces but—will Love win out?
Gorgeous color showcases the swank in Nice, Biarritz and Monte Carlo under smooth direction from Pierre Salvadori (who co-wrote), serving 106 minutes of bright, semi-naughty yet sweet-natured fun.
Lets be clear, planet: Ms. Tautou is so dreamy she sparkles: in a perfect world, she would live next door (with Marisa Tomei and Sofia Vergera across the street) and could feel free to just stroll in for a baguette whenever she darn well felt like it. Elmaleh’s likable hangdog recalls Buster Keaton, and his gift for slapstick lets charm win through instead of chaos. They’re a great team.
Not hitting the US until 2008, the movie pulled a gratifying $28,000,000. Reviews were good, with a few carpers–some people can’t enjoy air. With Marie-Christine Adam, Vernon Dobtcheff, Jacques Spiesser and Annalise Hesme.