Absolutely Fantastic

Absolutely brilliant

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

What a nice work, how good film makers and actors Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri are! Nothing is cheap in this beautiful film: not a word, not an expression, not a frame. The movie earned an Academy Award nomination in 2001 (in the end 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' won) and I think that everybody will enjoy it very much, just as I did.It's a small gem, narrating how people from very different backgrounds came across each other and how they did interact. Their strengths, they weaknesses, their needs and their dreams are represented in a most catching way: more than von Donnersmack's it reminds of Gérard Lauzier (the cartoonist), but with human comprehension in the place of cruelty. And fun: when i think back to Jean-Pierre Bacri's face staring at the paintings in the gallery I still laugh!

When I wrote about Agnes Jaoui's "Comme une image" (2004)aka "Look at me", I called it a triple triumph for its writer/director/star. I should have reserved the definition for her debut, The Taste of Others (2000) which was nominated for the Oscar as The Best Foreign Film and for nine Cesars. The film received four Cesars, including two for Jaoui, for Best film and Best Writing that she shared with her off-screen husband and co-star/co-writer, Jean-Pierre Bacri. The film deserves them all. It belongs to one of my favorite genres of different kind of comedy, subtle, depending not on laughing out loud situations and the funny clichés but on the genuineness of the characters and their interactions. It is a character driven film, and every character is alive, real, often weak and even boring but as their stories interweave, we began to see how much the movie has to say about many important things and how well it did so. What really attracts me to Agnes Jaoui's film is non-judgment of the main characters but the interest to and understanding them. This is the French film in the best meaning of the word - not glamorous, without expensive set decorations or breathtakingly beautiful lead heroes whose passion would burn the screen, no, it is quiet, ironic, elegantly constructed, it moves on its own relaxed pace, but it never drags, and its every word, smile, look, and sound combine in a wonderful watching experience. I also see it as a young writer/director/star's comment on the importance of art in our lives, and how it can really change a person and their outlook. One more thing, I simply admire Jaoui's taste in music. The scores for this film and for "Look at Me" include the examples of some of the most beautiful classic music ever written.

I knew absolutely nothing about this film other than what the DVD cover said. In giant yellow letters were reviews saying "witty"and "laugh-provoking" and so I naturally thought the film would be a comedy. Well, to me it really wasn't. I did laugh once very briefly--and a small laugh at that. Now this ISN'T meant as negative criticism--the film's makers were not responsible for how it was mismarketed. The movie still worked for me as a romance but only once I let go of my expectations and forced myself to watch through the first 20 or so minutes (which were pretty slow), I found the movie interesting and different--something that occurs too seldom with films. I wouldn't strongly advise a person to seek out the movie, but it's a harmless diversion.The main theme of the movie is mismatched pairs. Mr. Castella is in an unhappy marriage and most of this seems to be because his wife hates people--making herself a lousy partner. The one laugh I had was when this terrible woman's dog bites a passerby. Instead of showing any sympathy, she blames the man! Then, you find out her dog bites people all the time but it's always the victim's fault! Mr. and Mrs. Castella go to a play and Mrs. Castella talks through much of the play and finds fault with everything. Mr. Castella usually hates the theater but is mesmerized by the performance of one of the actresses--the same lady who is also his English language tutor. Mr. Castella spends much of the movie trying to hang around this actress and her bohemian friends--even though he really has nothing in common with them and appears to have no chance with the lady.There are a couple parallel plots that also have to do with mismatched couples. One is Mrs. Castella who tries for once to reach out to another person--in this case, her estranged sister-in-law. Another involves a drug-selling lady who works in a bar and is pursued by a conservative man! All these relationships are difficult, if not impossible to believe. Some work out, some do not. Despite me NOT believing the old axiom that "opposites attract", the film is clever and well made--with very believable and low-key acting by people who act like real people. I respect the film a lot--though I didn't find myself thrilled enough to understand how it was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. But what do I know?Incidentally, Jean-Pierre Bacri not only played Mr. Castella but he also wrote the screenplay. I have seen him in several films and like his persona--an "everyman" who is pretty likable.

Magnificent piece of actors' work, the movie unites a set of characters elaborately put together, like a human puzzle, and the result is nothing short of spectacular. The quality of this script allows us to rethink everything about the characters we take for granted, and there is always a surprise around the corner, which, for the viewer, is one rewarding experience, since the story is so simple, and yet so complex. At the end, we won't believe our eyes - talk about character arcs! Rest assured, this is a movie always worth seeing and one of the best actors' movies I have seen for years.