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Review: Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Reviews
La Doublure|The Valet
Deeper than it appears
By
TOM MEEK
|
April 25, 2007
LA DOUBLURE|THE VALET
3.0
Stars
VIDEO: Watch the trailer for
La Doublure|The Valet.
Have the French cornered the market on light comedy? Can you name a sweet-natured end-to-end laugher that’s come out of Hollywood recently? Enter veteran French farceur Francis Veber. François (Gad Elmaleh), the title functionary, a bug-eyed wisp of a man, proposes to Émilie (Virginie Ledoyen, full of sass) and is turned down; two days later he’s living with Elena (Alice Taglioni), France’s most famous supermodel. Huh? Turns out self-absorbed CEO Pierre (Daniel Auteuil, who starred in Veber’s gay romp
Le placard|The Closet
), is having an affair with Elena and has engaged François as the centerpiece of an elaborate charade to throw off his wife (Kristin Scott Thomas), who owns a major stake in Pierre’s company and is no fool. Miscommunication and false assumptions abound as Veber tartly layers in some surprisingly tender moments. It’s a brilliant flight of whimsy that’s deeper than its buffed veneer.
Related
:
Io e Napoleone/Napoleon and Me
,
Hidden agenda
,
The Other Boleyn Girl
,
More
Io e Napoleone/Napoleon and Me
This might look better on the big screen, but it would still be just a good idea that Virzi never developed.
Hidden agenda
Surveillance meshes unnoticed with the fabric of everyday life with unsettling formal wit in the beginning of Michael Haneke’s Caché .
The Other Boleyn Girl
Though both lead actresses give admirable performances, they’re held captive (and kept clothed) by Peter Morgan’s flat script.
Review: Shall We Kiss?
Writer/director Emmanuel Mouret fancies himself Éric Rohmer, Woody Allen, or maybe both in this talky romantic trifle.
Mon Meilleur Ami | My Best Friend
The set-up is so labored and unconvincing that it hardly matters when our hero latches onto Dany Boon’s trivia buff/cab driver.
Keeping Mum
In Niall Johnson’s minor but enjoyable British black comedy, Maggie Smith is a Mary Poppins–like houseservant with a penchant for homicide who’s the new hire, out in the provinces, of a British family in distress. Watch the trailer for Keeping Mum (QuickTime)
Politics as usual?
Conspiracy, corruption, catastrophe — politics and world events sure can be exciting. Even the mainstream news is taking an interest.
2009 Oscar predictions
This year the Oscars will honor the men who suffer for our sins and the women who don't wear make-up.
Review: Easy Virtue
Jessica Biel stretches beyond her usual bimbo persona to attain some class in Stephan Elliott's adaptation of the Noël Coward play.
Shock value
Moviegoers seeking release from the increasingly unavoidable escapism of superhero movies will find much to enjoy in the 11th Boston French Film Festival.
The belle boy
Precious, rather than priceless, is the word that comes to mind when describing Audrey Tautou.
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Reviews
,
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,
Daniel Auteuil
,
Kristin Scott Thomas
,
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,
Gad Elmaleh
,
Daniel Auteuil
,
Kristin Scott Thomas
,
Virginie Ledoyen
,
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ARTICLES BY TOM MEEK
REVIEW: GOD BLESS AMERICA
| May 17, 2012
The latest dark comedy from Bobcat Goldthwait tackles both vapid celebrity culture ( i.e. , Paris Hilton, the Kardashians, and American Idol ) and the indignity of being an office drone.
REVIEW: THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS
| April 24, 2012
Peter Lord, animator behind claymation staples Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run , directs this very British, very dry romp on the high seas during the time when Britannia did indeed rule the waves.
REVIEW: GOD BLESS AMERICA
| April 18, 2012
The latest dark comedy from Bobcat Goldthwait tackles both vapid celebrity culture (i.e., Paris Hilton, the Kardashians and American Idol) and the indignity of being an office drone.
REVIEW: UNDEFEATED
| March 15, 2012
Dan Lindsay and T. J. Martin's Oscar-winning documentary about an underequipped high-school football team competing against big-time programs across Tennessee offers a potent contemplation on race and opportunity.
REVIEW: DR. SEUSS' THE LORAX
| March 01, 2012
Regrettably, this team loses a lot of Seuss's quirkiness, though not the message about corporate greed and slash-and-burn imperialism.
See all articles by:
TOM MEEK
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