Since her breakthrough role in Amelie it has been Audrey Tautou's fate to be compared to her namesake Audrey Hepburn and Pierre Salvadori has taken this seriously enough to come up with his own take of Breakfast At Tiffaney's; that was the one, you may remember where Hepburn played a hooker in all but name, making a living out of letting rich men wine and dine her whilst keeping one eye out for a millionaire to marry, only to fall for George Peppard's gigolo. Salvadori has made one basic change inasmuch as whilst THIS Audrey actually sleeps with men three times her age Gad Elmahleh begins as a waiter who gets to sleep with Tautou after she mistakes him for a playboy but drops him like a hot potato once he's squandered his savings on baubles, champagne, etc. Only then does he become the plaything of a rich older woman. For good measure Salvadori throws in a scooter ride in case anyone needs reminding of Roman Holiday where Hepburn rode behind Gregory Peck. Alas, Gad Elmaleh is to Gregory Peck what George Bush is to Einstein. This is one of those films that tries to have it both ways; both the principals are living lives that are morally dubious but because they are doing so on the Riviera in outrageously opulent hotels and get to wear designer labels we're supposed to find them delightful, enchanting and root for them to get it on. Both the leads are competent actors and contrive to look clean and wholesome and the movie has box office written all over it but as Brooks Atkinson said in 1940 in his review of Pal Joey, can you draw sweet water from a foul well. My guess is that the public will say yes, but let's not forget it was the public who elected Blair and Bush.
Review of Priceless
