BEAUTIFUL LIES (De vrais mensonges) (2010)

Genre: Romance/Comedy
Director: Pierre Salvadori
Cast: Audrey Tautou, Nathalie Baye, Sami Bouajila, Stéphanie Lagarde, Judith Chemla
RunTime: 1 hr 45 mins
Released By: GV & Festive Films
Rating: PG (Some Sexual References and Coarse Language)
Official Website: http://www.festivefilms.com/beautifullies

Opening Day: 7 July 2011

Synopsis: A fresh and quirky romantic comedy about a chatty hairdresser who concocts a plan to cheer up her mother who is suffering from a serious case of the blues after having been left by her husband. 30-year-old Emilie (Tautou) runs a hairdressing salon where she provides an endless stream of well-meaning advice to her clients and friends, but the only person she cannot seem to help is her own mother. Jean, a young man who works for Emilie, is secretly in love with her but a pathological shyness prevents him from declaring his feelings. Finally, unable to contain himself, he opens his heart in a passionate anonymous letter, but Emilie has other plans...

Movie Review:

Love seems especially beautiful when it happens in France, doesn’t it? We’ve all imagined ourselves as the beautiful people headlining French movies like Amelie (2001), A Very Long Engagement (2004) and Priceless (2006). Is it just coincidence that the abovementioned movies feature French cinema’s darling Audrey Tautou? Here we have another romantic comedy starring the lovely starlet and her pixie crop.

Tautou plays Emilie (probably paying homage to Amelie, the character which made the French star a household name), an owner of a hairdressing salon who receives a hand written love letter from a shy handyman. She dismisses the passionate letter at first, but when she realises that her mother is still distraught over the betrayal of her father, she decides to resend the letter to cheer the upset woman up. What follows is a series of misunderstandings and an awkward love triangle involving a man caught between two women who are mother and daughter. 

This is your usual French charmer, with a tried and test romantic comedy formula. You’d be chuckling instead of roaring in laughter at the setups and the occasional sexual innuendos, you’d be impressed with yourself (yet again) because you could see the ending coming one quarter into the 105 minute movie, and you’d have no problem sitting through this lightweight and accessible production where everyone, well, is a charmer.

We are talking about the caricatured characters here, ranging from Tautou’s smart alec but loveable protagonist, Nathalie Baye’s (Catch Me If You Can) mother character who seems a little too hungry for sex, Sami Bouajia’s (Days of Glory) handsome handyman, and other supporting roles written to provide additional laughs. This isn’t exactly a bad thing though - the people in the world written by scriptwriter Benoit Graffin may lead everyday lives like ours, but there is something particularly charismatic about how they appear on screen. This makes us common folks desire for a lifestyle like theirs, and that’s probably why everyone loves French cinema. 

Tautou and her signature bob does nothing new here, but still manages to have you siding with her idiosyncratic and quirky character. Baye steals the show as the mother whose love life is turned upside down after receiving a zealously written love letter. The actress manages to deliver a comical performance which provides the energy for the film. Bouajia isn’t too bad either, as one can only imagine his frustration as he finds himself caught between two women. Supporting characters played by Stephanie Lagarde and Judith Chemla complete the likeable ensemble cast. 

As this isn’t a sweeping romance drama, you can expect standard production values (read: simple cinematography and simple art direction) which are more commonly found on TV movies. This, also isn’t a bad thing, because your attention should be on the character’s jesting and bantering.

Director Pierre Salvadori, who also co penned the screenplay, is obviously hoping to repeat the success he enjoyed on Priceless five years ago, which also starred Tautou. A romantic comedy like this will be easily enjoyed by the masses, but it may also be conveniently filed into the category of “one of those” French comedies you’ve watched before.

Movie Rating:

(An accessible and lightweight French comedy featuring everyone’s favourite Audrey Tautou)

Review by John Li