How Much Do You Love Me? (2005)

good back-story, and good acting

Best movie of this year hands down!

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Bertrand Blier, one of the most innovative provocateurs of the French Cinema, is at it again with this satire which will be viewed with pleasure or anger by his fans. Mr. Blier, who also wrote the screen play, is a man whose movies appear to be something on the surface, but he, like other Europeans are really examining the society in which they live. Therefore, it's easy to dismiss this work on the outward appearance of what one sees on screen.The premise is about how money can't buy happiness, or even sexual excitement, as is the case with the poor Francois, a man who, might, or might not, have won a fortune in the French lottery. When he spots the luscious Daniela, he wants her, at whatever cost. The way he figures, even in spite of his health, he is entitled to the gorgeous prostitute now that he has money.Little prepares Francois, an office worker, to a life with Daniella. She is rather complicated, with a pimp named Charly, who has a different plan for her and the man who has paid for her services. Charly enters their lives and everything changes, as Daniella's loyalties are put to a test.The best reason for watching this film is Monica Bellucci, an actress with a lovely face and figure. The spectator becomes riveted to the time she is on the screen. Bernard Campan is the deadpan Francois, a man whose will is put to a test when he gets more than what he bargained for. Gerard Depardieu, a man who owes his career to Mr. Blier, plays the enigmatic Charly. Farida Rahouadj, is seen as the neighbor of Francois and Jean Pierre Derroussin has a pivotal role as well."Combien tu m'aimes" is not for everyone, but true fans of Bertrand Blier will enjoy this film because of the way he provokes them into areas that are original as well as different from many filmmakers.

What a disappointment. I was expecting much more from a film coming from Bertrand Blier, who has made Tenue de Soir in the 80s, and a bunch of reasonable films since. Having Depardieu and the mind-blowing Monica Belucci in the film was not certainly enough.All the film turns around Monica Belucci. Sure, such a beauty makes man die for and can make them pay millions or kill for, the issue is that the characters in this film seem to be willing to do exactly this, and this is the whole story, not much more. One of the reasons of failure is I believe the cast. Bernard Campan in the role of the gray clerk who wins the lottery and intents to buy a beautiful Italian whore for the rest of his life is lacking charisma, and there is no chemistry between him and Monica Belucci. In other words, I can certainly understand him, but I cannot understand her, and the whole intended love story is less than credible.All around dance a bunch of characters who fail to be coherent enough, or funny, or to be able to collect any sympathy. Even Gerard Depardieu who is an actor who seemed not to be able to do wrong looks like mis-cast. Actually all characters seem under-developed, and if it were not for Monica Belucci's beauty and talent (almost completely wasted here) the film would have sunk into complete failure. It gets a few stars however, and all belong to Belucci.

How Much Do You Love Me? is a romantic sex comedy featuring the irresistible Italian actress Monica Bellucci as the leading actress, with veteran actor Gerard Depardieu and Bernard Campan as the 2 leading guys in the drama, which involves weak heart, sex, lottery, blackmail and tonnes of laughter.Francois (Campan) is a civil servant living in a bachelorhood. He strike lottery and he set his eyes on Daniela (Bellucci), a beautiful prostitute. He makes an offer of paying her 100,000 euros per month to stay with him until he used up his cash award of 4 million euros. She moves in with him and everything begins from a role play of husband and wife. As they goes on, he develop feelings for her. However, Charly (Depardieu), a mafia boss, who was the lover of Daniela, steps in. He opens up a proposal for Francois: to buy the freedom of Daniela from Charly at 4 million euros.Director Bertrand Blier has spiced up the film with tonnes of laughter, with a touch of slapstick. While some of the scenes might seems to be exaggerating, it is actually not. At a certain level, he has brought up the loneliness of a middle age bachelor faced, from mentally to physically.Monica Bellucci is the focus of How Much Do You Love Me. Once again, she takes up the sexually challenging role of a prostitute after Malena and Irreversible. She swings in between Campan and Depardieu, where the former is a civil servant paying for the service, and the latter her lover. Swining in between the 2 men spices up the later part of the film, where it is unmissable.Depardieu, however, seems to be pulling the whole film down, where the role of Charly the mafia boss seems to be too dull and boring. Though he might be trying hard to play the role of mafia boss, more effort can be put in. Campan, on the other hand, has room for improvement, though it can be seen that effort has been put in.Do not expect any raunchy sex scene in How Much. Instead, do expect the witty and humorous sex jokes and argument in a scene where Bellucci, Campan and Farida Rahouadj (who plays Francois's neighbor) gather outside the house for a dispute.This movies worths 6/10. And it is a good movie to spice up a boring weekend night.

For non French-speakers the title translates as HowMuch Do You Love Me, ergo my summary. Normally I'm prepared to go a long way to avoid Monica Bellucci but against that I'm equally prepared to go as far again to see Gerard Depardieu so there you have the problem in a nutshell. Blier has been, of course, associated inextricably with Depardieu from the first and it would not be an exaggeration to say that Depardieu owes his career to Blier's Les Valseuses, but there is, surely a limit to how grateful one can be; after all Gerry can be said to have paid Blier back with interest with his appearances in Get Out Your Handkerchiefs, Too Beautiful For You and so on. On the other hand this latest Blier entry toplined Bernard Campan, so good in Se Souvenirs des belles choses and it's he who kick-starts the plot, having won the lottery and inclined to 'buy' hooker Bellucci. That should give you an idea of what to expect and frankly it doesn't get any better so I'm really not surprised that no one has chosen to write about something released in October, quickly withdrawn from the large salles and now reduced to two screens in Cinemas du quartier. A major disappointment.