6/1/16

Up for Love

Jean Dujardin is never afraid to take a chance. Please remember that he won an Oscar for playing a vain movie star in "The Artist," a black-and-white silent film that pays homage to early Hollywood.  In "Un homme à la hauteur" (English captions) he plays a successful and witty architect who is only 4'6" tall. This romantic comedy was submitted to the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival from France.

Director Laurent Tirard ("Molière") offers us a schmaltzy film that could easily have become sappy but in my opinion, the wit is leavened by the solid heart that never stops beating. In addition, we are constantly reminded of the brilliant filmmaking that seamlessly gives us Dujardin's handsome face on a well-proportioned midget's body. By the way, Brice Simien Baron is that body double. I was delighted to see him credited in the cast!

We watch:
  • Jean Dujardin ("The Artist") Alexandre spots a mobile phone left by a lawyer who was having a public spat with her former husband. He sees "Home" on her call list, so rings her at home so he can arrange to return it. Even their first phone chat is clever and funny.
  • Virginie Efira ("Family for Rent") Diane Duchêne is a successful lawyer. Problem is, she is still partners with her former husband, whose ethics are a bit slippery. Our brown-eyed blonde isn't willing to take any more professional risks with him. They have been divorced for over three years and he never improves...
  • Cédric Kahn ("Aliyah") Bruno Cassoni wants to keep a client who has become notoriously shady. He feels if the money is good, why not risk it? Diane is being unreasonably stubborn!
There is never a moment when we feel our hero is being derided by the script. The conflicts our characters feel are no doubt real and based on actual experience. She is aware of how they appear when they go out in public together but they are so compatible she is tempted to take a chance. But then there is her MOTHER!

We left the theater with big smiles on our faces. This is upbeat, plenty of people to root for, no gunshots, no betrayals, just a bit of vehicular mayhem and the CGI is flawless. We liked this one a LOT.

Thinking back on this, I still smile at his tractor story and her plastic surgery face ("I haven't had a THING done!). Oh! And the DOG! I'll be ordering the DVD.