Film Review | Beautiful Lies

Monday,19th, September, by Katharine Barrau

Director: Pierre Salvadori
Run Time: 104mn
With: Audrey Tatou, Nathalie Baye, Stephanie Lagarde

A few years ago the director Pierre Salvadori gave us the light and frothy, very enjoyable comedy romp Priceless, about a shameless gold-digger played against type by Audrey Tautou, whose usual doe-eyed, butter-wouldn’t melt on-screen persona was ditched for that of a manipulative meanie.

Now the two – Salvadori and Tautou – are reunited for another slice of knockabout, aspiration-based silliness.

This romantic comedy centres on chatty hairdresser Emilie (Tautou) who hatches a cunning plan to lift the flagging spirits of her mother, suffering from a bad case of the blues after her husband walked out on her.

A heartfelt love letter from hunky handyman Jean (Sami Bouajila) that has been sent to Emilie is initially chucked in the bin, only to be retrieved later and passed on to the unfortunate mother, Maddy (played by the estimable Nathalie Baye).

Despite lots of dodgy, dated gags about the Mum’s sex drive and some laughable rather than laugh-worthy contrivances, this is a watchable rom-com driven mainly by the energy of the lead players, not least the always compelling Tautou.