Priceless: A Gem From Pierre Salvadori
Gad Elmaleh And Audrey Tautou Star in This French Romantic Comedy
Sep 8, 2008
Priceless is the latest film resulting from the French director Pierre Salvadori’s fondness for writing great comedy rife with romantic complications and class conflict.
The Plot:
The film centres around two main characters: Jean (Elmaleh) a shy and hard working waiter and Irene (Tautou) a scheming gold digger. In the opening scene we see Jean dragged along by the pack of dogs he’s supposed to be walking and from the onset we see that this bland character is happy to allows himself to be carried along by the desires of others. On the other hand the perfectly manicured and beautiful Irene seeks a rich man to give her security and happiness and, for reasons that are immediately obvious, she has been very successful in captivating a string of wealthy old men.
Romantic Complications:
Their paths cross one night when Irene confuses Jean for a millionaire and it is a mistake that provides a lot of comic mileage in this film. When Irene eventually discovers his lowly status, she can’t get rid of him fast enough but unfortunately for her, Jean is smitten and determined to hang on. His love for her takes the form of never judging her and even stretches to the extend of understanding why Irene has chosen the lifestyle she has. And, if that’s not far enough for Irene, Jean takes the extra step of following her to a magnificent luxury hotel and, in order to stay and be close to his beloved, chooses to adopts her lifestyle and becomes a gigolo. It is a move, which elevates Jean to the status of ‘colleague’ in Irene’s eyes and she finds herself developing a new and grudging respect for him. Irene eventually mentors Jean and the understanding and friendship they share blossoms into a strong alliance. Although she loves Jean, Irene resists her feelings for him because for Irene love is a problem. It makes her fragile, scares and distracts her from the financially secure life she has planned.
Tautou and Elmaleh:
Draped in designer labels the incredibly sexy and talented Tautou emerges onto the screen as a sultry seductress in a never ending array of plunging necklines. She displays an incredible range of emotions as an actress and the comedian Elmaleh, who was recently voted the funniest man in France, is charming as the love struck Jean.
Priceless is a light and flowing comedy that moves seamlessly around two neurotic yet determined characters. Skillfully dealing with the often contrary and delicate dance between people who are attracted to each other this story manages the incredible feat of making two scheming people, caught up in the ruthlessness of prostitution endearing. Screened in Australia as part of the French Film Festival, Priceless, with its humorous insight into human nature, is pretty close to being just that.
