8/10
Give me pleasure
3 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Jean-Jacques and Ariane's feet are seen out of a blanket as the story begins. Ariane obviously wants to sleep, while a playful Jean-Jacques wants sex. Ariane has all kinds of excuses for not giving her man what he wants. First, she must finish her book; she only has a few pages to read! After that, her excuse is she must have her coffee. And so it goes, Jean-Jacques doing everything possible to cater to Ariane's desires, but never getting what he wants.

Jean-Jacques recounts to Ariane how he met a friend of a friend, a not particularly handsome man, who told he and his buddy, as they sat at a bar drinking, how he always got lucky with women. His technique, when he finds a woman he likes, consists in writing a flattering note to any lady he wants to have. He has the note given to the intended conquest, and more than likely, he will get lucky in wooing the woman through conversation and suavity.

Ariane has a change of heart after Jean-Jacques tells the story of the friend. What is more, he tried his friend's technique on an attractive woman he met at a bistro. Before leaving for work at the hospital where she is a nurse, she wants Jean-Jacques to have his way with the woman he desires. After all, it is a modern approach to their relationship. Let him have his fun, then tell her about it.

Jean-Jacques, who got the woman's telephone number, calls her for a rendezvous. The address is confusing because it is around the Elysee Palace, the French president's official residence. It proves to be quite an ordeal getting to Elisabeth's place. When he gets there, he is for the surprise of his life, the woman he is seeing is the daughter of the president!

Emmanuel Mouret a young French director, created an impressive comedy that is a joy to watch. Never going over the top, the film is more of a farce than a just a comedy. There are all kinds of things that go wrong, especially during a party Elisabeth is giving to her friends, where all things go wrong, including a trip to the bathroom where the toilet is almost impossible to find, and the bidet has a sculpture of a naked woman on top of it! Mr. Mouret orchestrates everything as a sort of intimate chamber piece, played with good taste, which gets good results without ever becoming vulgar. It is a comedy that elicits laughs, but not guffaws.

One of the best things in the film is the director himself, playing Jean-Jacques with a straight face despite of all the unexpected things happening to him. Mr. Mouret is a good comedian that shows his low key approach to being funny pays off in surprising ways. The women in his life are played by Frederique Bel seen as Ariane. Judith Godreche appears as Elisabeth and Deborah Francois is Aneth. Jacques Weber is the president of France, a regular man that only wants to be called Antoine.

This is a delightful comedy that shows the talent of its creator Emmanuel Mouret in a surprising film.
5 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed