GadElmaleh Tagged Articles at Cinematical

*A guest review today, from Nick Schager, of Slant Magazine


There's nothing new about the films of Francis Veber, director of The Dinner Game and The Closet. Decidedly old-school throwbacks to both classic Hollywood comedies of manners and bouncy French farces, the filmmaker's hits are pure superficiality, their intricate plot machinations and oversized performances containing barely a whiff of emotional or intellectual depth. Veber isn't about character development or thematic subtext; he's about light, frolicsome fun, the kind in which myriad strangers find themselves hopelessly embroiled in outrageous circumstances, and then stumble and bumble their way out of trouble and into love. With The Valet, he continues his career dedication to fanciful humor, spinning a tangled yarn about a restaurant valet, his small business-owning love interest, a corporate bigwig, his cold, greedy wife, and his supermodel lover, all of whom find their fates intertwined after a tabloid photographer takes an ill-advised picture.

The snapshot in question is of CEO Pierre Levasseur (Daniel Auteuil) and his gorgeous celebrity mistress Elena (Alice Taglioni), and it threatens to ruin Levasseur if it leads to divorce, as his wife Christine (Kristin Scott Thomas, speaking seamless French) is the majority shareholder in his companies. As a random passerby is also featured in the photo, Pierre claims that Elena was actually with this stranger, a cover story that forces Pierre to find the man and pay him to pose as Elena's lover for the paparazzi hordes. After an amazingly quick search, the innocent sap in question turns out to be François Pignon (Gad Elmaleh) – the name of most of Veber's naïve protagonists – a porter who lives with his clingy best friend Richard (Dany Boon) and who has recently had his marriage proposal rebuffed by lifelong love and deep-in-debt bookstore proprietor Emilie (Virginie Ledoyen), who is being aggressively pursued by a sleazy cell phone salesman (Patrick Mille).

The French are in love with happy endings. French cinema is classic for ending their films relating to love with disastrous, heart wrenching break ups. The lovers have passion and excitement, but never quite live happily ever after. Happily ever after is a definite go to in American cinema -- sometimes a requirement. Often times, films are rewritten or never made because they do not obtain those hopeful and uplifting endings -- especially in matters of love. Are the French following in the footsteps of America's audience-approved endings?

The answer seems to be yes. French box office charts are giving the number one slot to romantic comedies with those familiar 'love conquers all' endings. Pierre Salvadori is heading French box offices with his film Hors de prix (Priceless) starring Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh -- a spin on America's Pretty Woman.

Why the change? Many changes have been happening in French cinema this year. France has been playing with war action films, 3D animation as well as relieving themselves of a snobby filmmaker attitude and connecting more with pleasing audiences. Some films are also dealing with the rising prejudices existing in France with the film Mauvaise foi (Bad Faith) -- where an Arab/Jewish couple's religions may cause the demise of their relationship. The director Roschdy Zem hopes to raise tolerance for those involved in the growing violence between the two groups using humor and film.

So are classic French love stories long gone? One of my favorites, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, is devastating yet equally yummy in its story telling. The young lovers are torn apart by war as the possible defamation of an unwed pregnant woman throws her into the arms of another man -- it's so sad but so good. For now, French audiences are approving this new found happy ending; but I'm sure there are still plenty of French elitist filmmakers ready to rebel against the 'love conquers all' fairytales.