By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Eric Latigau
Starring: Alain Chabat | Bernadette Lafont | Charlotte Gainsbourg
Original language title: Prête-moi ta Main
Country: france
Year: 2007
Running time: 90
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478724/
Bruce says: “If you feel you need a reason to see this film, there is one: Charlotte Gainsbourg. Like the recent French offering, THE VALET, this film has been optioned by Hollywood for an English remake. If Sony Pictures has any sense they will demand Charlotte Gainsbourg be part of the package.
“Gainsbourg aside, the film is rather lame. Luis Costa (Alain Chabat) is a 43 year old bachelor; by profession he is ‘a nose,’ a
man with a perfect sense of smell which enables him to isolate the many fragrances needed to create new, exciting perfumes. That in itself could be a compelling reason to see I DO were there not be a more intriguing ‘nose’ story available on film, Tom Tykwer’s recent PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDER. Luis is also a renowned ladies man. His widowed mother and six sisters (SEVEN BEAUTIES, anyone?) rule the family, or so they like to think. They all pamper Luis to a disgusting degree and then complain about his being spoiled. The G7, as the ruling women call themselves, ordain that Luis must get married. To help him attain their goal, they all find women who are bridal candidates. Luis, disgusted after a succession of horrifying dates, takes matter into his own hands and hires Emma (Gainsbourg) the sister of his friend Francis (Wladimir Yordanoff) to pretend to be
his girlfriend. The idea is that she will quickly become a fiancée and jilt him on his wedding day. Guess what? The plan backfires.
“The writing certainly could be better, but the biggest disappointment is Alain Chabat’s poor comedic performance. A popular comedian in France, Chabat relies on chauvinistic glares to convey all his character’s emotions. The result is a very flat, uninteresting performance. Bernadette Lafont and the many actresses who play his sisters fare better with one-dimensional
acting; they are foils, after all. This film rests entirely on Gainsbourg’s shoulders. 2.5 cats”