Priceless (2006)

That was an excellent one.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The film effectively conveys that money can't buy love, and that the simplest things in life might conjure the most wonderful moments or memories. Don't be pretentious - just be yourself, as simplicity will bring forth the best in you. Audrey Tautou was a pleausure to watch as usual. She is just such a wonderful actress.

If "Hors de Prix" ("Priceless" ) is supposed to be romantic or a comedy, it has some plot problems which work against it. Part of it is that I am indeed old fashioned, but even common sense tells you that Jean is going about finding love in a ridicuous and self-defeating fashion! In other words, "Kids: Don't Try This at Home!".When the story begins, Jean (Gad Elmaleh) is working as a bartender in a very upscale hotel. His night has been very slow and when Irène (Audrey Tautou) comes to the bar, she mistakes him for one of the hotel's rich patrons. Soon, they end up in bed together. Later, they repeat this...and the man who is footing the bill for Irène discovers this is happening and cuts her off. Now, in need of a rich sugar daddy, she returns to Jean...not knowing he's just a lowly working man. He doesn't realize that she is, in fact, a lowly working woman...albeit a very high priced one! And, in order to impress her and keep her, he spends what little he has on her...and it disappears very, very quickly.So, Jean is a liar and beds a woman on false pretenses. And, Irène is a high priced call girl. Sounds like the ideal basis for a relationship, don't you think? And that is my problem with the film. While the actors were very good, I just couldn't get past the fact that they were very selfish and unlikable...especially Irène. As for Jean, he was just completely foolish and his indiscretions only get worse! Normally, you should like characters in a film...particularly a romantic comedy. But here they just seemed selfish and awful...and it ruined the experience for me.

Jean (Elmaleh) is every business owner's dream – he works hard and never asks for a pay-raise. But when a lovely looking girl (Tautou) walks into the cozy bar of the hotel where he works and asks for a drink, things suddenly change. Jean presents himself as a rich but lonely bachelor, the girl likes what she is told and after a few drinks the two end up in bed.On the following morning, instead of revealing who he really is, Jean decides to stick with the bachelor play. Unfortunately for him, it becomes obvious that the girl is already staying at the hotel with someone else - a rich, twice her age, man with little stamina and plenty of cash to burn. Does Jean have enough in his savings account to earn the girl's heart? Priceless is a simple film with an even simpler story. It is about a girl fishing for her Sugar Daddy on the French Riviera. She is careful, kind, and always respectful with those willing to invest in her. Like most girls, she also likes expensive gifts and fine dining. But when a lonely workaholic falls for her, and later on manages to impressively beat her at her own game, Priceless gets interesting. Elmaleh and Tautou clash in a fascinating "let's see who's the better player" game where all bets are off.Surprisingly, Elmaleh's game is better (well, let's face it, if it wasn't this film would have been unwatchable). He unexpectedly conquers the heart of an old widow willing to pay for a younger companion, and the once shy and poorly dressed bartender immediately becomes a man of interest. He acts as a gentleman, and Tautou's character begins to see in him what she couldn't while he was spending on her the last Euros from his savings account.Obviously, as much as Priceless is a sweet comedy with plenty of clichés, it is also a film with a good dose of sour realism. The beautiful young girls at the French Riviera being pampered by their old (not older, I mean old) and financially stable partners, the young men being bought by wealthy old (again, old, not older) women to escort them, so they could parade themselves at the luxurious restaurants, all of this at times comes off as sour rather than sweet. With other words, Priceless offers plenty of humor, but there is a good dose of drama in it as well.Tunisia-born French director Pierre Salvadori (who also helmed the similarly themed Après Vous with Daniel Auteuil and Sandrine Kiberlain) does a good job of capturing the glamor of the French Riviera. The endless chic hotels, expensive boutiques, and exotic cars seen in Priceless certainly allow the viewer to get a good taste of the playing field where Elmaleh and Tautou's characters collide. C'est la vie!

Audrey Tautou, the sweetheart of France (and, to me, the rest of the world), returns to the romantic comedy in 'Hors de Prix' aka 'Priceless,' a film by Pierre Salvadori ('Après vous...' (2003)).Tautou plays a different type of role (in the same type of film) as swindler Irène who uses her sexuality to make men keep her satisfied (materialistically). Her plans go awry when she's left by her rich fiancé and runs to the arms of whom she assumes is a rich business man, Jean (Gad Elmaleh). Unfortunately for Irène, however, Jean is merely a hotel worker who just happened to be at the right place at the right time.Surprisingly (as she's regularly one of the most attractive women in the world), Audrey looks better than ever. Not only does she have her typical 'adorable' going for her, but here she's extremely sexy as well.The story is charming and cute, but has a bit of a bite to it. It's questionable as to exactly WHY Jean would like Irène so much with as cruel as she is. . . sure, she's drop-dead gorgeous, but Jean didn't really seem, to me, the type that would fall for something like that. Oh well, can't have everything spoonfed to us and we must take it as given. There are many laugh-out-loud moments, mostly from Jean's awkwardness playing off Irène's smoothness. And it all turns out to be a very pleasant & entertaining romantic comedy that's sure to treat fans of the genre well.Final Verdict: 8/10.-AP3-