Beautiful Lies
Director: Pierre Salvadori
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Sami Bouajila
Details: France / 105mins (PG).
It all began with a letter. Desperately in love with Emilie (Tautou), the pushy hairdresser, handyman Jean (Bouajila) pours out his feelings for his boss on paper. Emilie then forwards the letter anonymously to her mother Maddy (Baye) to put a spring back in her step after her husband left her for a younger woman. Forced to write more letters to keep a smile on Maddy's face, Emilie asks Jean to deliver one of them... and he is spotted by Maddy. Now infatuated with her daughter's handsome employee, Emilie pleads with Jean to date her mother. Plans like this never go to plan…
With the danger of being rumbled at any moment, Beautiful Lies delights in tying itself up in knots, twists and turns. This farce is light-hearted fun... until it takes a turn for the gloomy two-thirds of the way through and doesn't recover. Taking a break from solemn work with Rachid Bouchareb (he was tremendous in Days of Glory and Outside The Law), Sami Bouajila makes the transition to lightweight romantic comedy quite easily. Ditto Nathalie Baye: the sixty-three-year-old looks remarkable for her age and her sparkling eyes would turn any head. It's a shame that the plot has Jean in love with Emilie and Emilie alone because it would be great to see these two together. In fact, the movie would have worked so much better if this were their story.
But Beautiful Lies isn't Bouajila's or Baye's - it's Tautou's and she isn't pleasant. Okay, so you don't have to be pleasant - you can get by on interesting, funny or scary - but being pleasant is paramount if you're the lead in a rom-com. Tautou here doesn't say anything interesting. She treats her mother badly. At one point she fires Jean because he's smart (?). It's difficult to root for her. Why Jean loves her so much isn't in the film and so it's hard to get onside with his lovesick plight.
If you like Tautou and can buy her in a rom-com, then Beautiful Lies will work wonders. If not…
Review by Gavin Burke
Your Comments
Rebecca
The trailers looks funny enough, might go this even with the less than sterling review. anybody else seen it yet?
Posted 12/08/2011 16:37:48
Bryce
Haven't seen it but it might just work - the depressed girlfriend looks good.
Posted 17/08/2011 11:09:24
paul
what a fab movie. this film sums up what a movie should be. funny, romantic , good story and great acting..really enjoyable film. A must see !!
Posted 21/08/2011 20:09:53
foodie
Audrey Tautou is a great actress. Looking forward to seeing this film.
Posted 22/08/2011 14:35:09
ted29
It got a hammering on Rotten tomatoes!! I normally love Tatou but i havent seen a good review of this yet, anywhere!
Posted 05/09/2011 16:30:58
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