By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Agnès Jaoui
Starring: Agnès Jaoui | Jean-Pierre Bacri | Keine Bouhiza | Marilou Berri | Virginie Desarnauts
Original language title: Comme une image
Country: france, italy
Year: 2005
Running time: 110
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374583/combined
Michael says: “Agnès Jaoui is a talented actress. She is also a talented director and screenwriter! LOOK AT ME is the sixth film she has co-written with her husband Jean-Pierre Bacri (who also stars in LOOK AT ME) and the second film that she has directed, following the equally impressive THE TASTE OF OTHERS from 2001 (it was nominated for a Best Cast Chlotrudis). LOOK AT ME is a smart, easy-going, delightful French comedy that looks at the way people deal with fame (and famous people), integrity, and body image. Like THE TASTE OF OTHERS, it features a large cast, all of whom get their fair share of character development despite the number of minutes they appear on screen. The comedy isn’t laugh-out-loud, but natural and warm. The dialogue is quick and realistic; Jaoui often drops us into a scene in the middle of a conversation, and not just for exposition to forward the plot.
“In fact, Jaoui and Bacri’s script is so refreshingly devoid of film clichés, allowing the events to unfold naturally and without pretense. It avoids that obvious “moment” that usually comes near the end of a film where a character learns something and becomes a better person for it. The screenplay is so refreshing that it is certain to appear on my list of nominees next year.
“Jaoui’s directing talent really comes to the fore in LOOK AT ME. Even more amazing is how well she directs herself. There are some sublime moments in LOOK AT ME where Jaoui merely lets the camera hover on a wonderfully framed shot, allowing the character being filmed to just have a moment to react. Usually this character is Sylvia, played by Jaoui, and the combination of the shot and Jaoui’s understated acting scores a big win.
“I really loved LOOK AT ME. It’s so refreshing to have a light-hearted film that isn’t fluffy, with a wonderfully crafted script, smart directing and a terrific cast. Bacri deserves chops as well for taking on such an unsympathetic character with such relish, and avoiding many of the obvious stereotypes. 4 ½ cats.”
Bruce says: “Several friends of mine have not liked this film because they had problems with Lolita (Marilou Berry) the young woman who is the central character in this film. However, it is not necessary to like Lolita to appreciate LOOK AT ME, a beautifully engineered complex comedy of manners involving several other main characters in addition to Lolita.
“To be frank, Lolita is indeed difficult to like. She is overweight, self-loathing and self destructive. She craves attention and is starved for affection. She has a history of moving from one unsuccessful endeavor to another. As the film opens, opera and classical singing is her current pursuit. Lolita is the daughter of Étienne Cassard a famous Parisian writer and publisher. Étienne is now married to Karine (Virginie Desarnauts) a gorgeous mother of a three year old who is but a few years older than Lolita. Karine’s idea of bonding with her step daughter is shopping together. She selects clothes for Lolita to try on, clothes that Lolita is embarrassed to wear.
“Étienne is one of the supreme narcissists in cinematic history. He is totally preoccupied with himself. He has not the slightest regard for anyone else and is totally lacking in fatherly pride. Lolita feels that many people only are attracted to her because of her father’s fame. At the beginning of the film, I felt like shaking her and telling her to live her own life. By the end of the film I had greater appreciation for her concerns and her plight. Sylvia (Agnès Jaoui) is Lolita’s voice teacher. Sylvia’s husband (Laurent Grévill) is a struggling writer. When Sylvia finds out that Étienne Cassard is her father, she devotes a lot more attention to Lolita singing. Lolita is also faced with a boyfriend whose attentions are suspect and a young man (Keine Bouhiza) whom she befriends. All the subplots of the film converge over a weekend in the French countryside.
“LOOK AT ME is cleverly constructed, darting from character to character with a lively, effortless pace. The characters are introduced one by one and their relationships are slowly established. Agnès Jaoui (writer, director, and actor) pokes fun at bourgeois values by illustrating how most people are more easily seduced by money, fame, and power than they are by love. Jaoui also makes us aware of how relationships become complicated in shades of gray rather than black and white, and she places great emphasis on what fine lines separate love, friendship, romance and business.
“The acting is uniformly superb. Jaoui acts well in her own film, an ability that often directors lack. Jean-Pierre Bacri plays the loathsome Étienne to perfection. And Marilou Berry is marvelously unsympathetic as Lolita. 4.5 cats”
Thom says: “I just saw LOOK AT ME today (4.5 CATS) & Bruce’s review is right on the money. I felt exactly the same Bruce did on every single point. In a perfect world I would have liked Lolita to have a few girlfriends, but otherwise I loved this film.”