"I don't want to love someone else.
Understand? I
just want to be sad"
Known in some countries by the titles Full Treatment or De vrais
mensonges, Beautiful Lies is a
French romantic comedy starring Audrey Tautou. Emilie (Tautou) is the co-owner
of a new Salon in the beautiful seaside town of
Beautiful Lies is a frothy and often very funny romantic comedy
which features some great performances from the principle cast.
Audrey Tautou
looks stunning in the role of Emilie and gives a decent if not outstanding
performance. She does nothing new here but is fun to watch. Nathalie Baye (Catch Me if You Can) does a good job as
the aging former nude model. Her transformation from dull, middle aged women to
sex kitten is fun and well judged. The star though is Sami Bouajila. He plays a
character full of surprises and depth and has a great face for awkward
situations. The love he pours into the original letter also comes out in his
interactions with Tautou. The supporting cast are mainly caricatures added for
comic effect but each works well.
The plot is
interesting and littered with humorous moments and lines as well as the
occasional sad moment. As the plot unfolded I was desperate for Tautou and
Bouajila to get together and the idea of her mother being the one in the way is
funny and original. I enjoyed how the film twists and turns as more letters are
written. The payoff is left for the final minutes and although what I wanted,
made me shout “eww, gross!” due to previous events. The film on the whole made
me laugh a lot and kept my attention despite watching it when tired.
One of the
highlights of the movie is its setting, the beautiful town of Sète
in the south of France
Overall Beautiful Lies is a funny and enjoyable
film but isn’t remarkable. I enjoyed it more than my French Rom-Com loving
girlfriend which might indicate its broad appeal. I wouldn’t watch it again but
I’m very glad I watched it once.
8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment