My first day at AFI Dallas meant fighting unexpected weekend traffic jams to a part of town where I can't possibly afford to live to see a movie from a place I'll probably never be able to afford to visit: France.
Though a wholly French film, Priceless is a throwback to the golden age of Hollywood. If it were in black and white, this is a movie that could easily have starred Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn instead of Gad Elmaleh and Audrey Tautou. In this case though, Tautou and Elmaleh are admirable fill-ins for those classic luminaries in the story of a goldigger with a heart of, er… well, gold.
Audrey plays Irene, a woman who while technically not a prostitute, makes her way in this world by latching on to rich men, putting out for them, and getting them to provide for her. She aspires some day to be the trophy wife of a wealthy, elderly businessman and is determined to let nothing get between her and the good life. You know the type. You’ve seen them on the arms of corporate CEOs and NBA players, or if you live in Dallas she’s every pretty girl you’ve seen in a bar. Irene is a money groupie, and she takes it seriously.
Enter Jean, a penniless hotel bellboy who accidentally fools her into thinking he has money, and then falls hopelessly in love with her. When Irene finds out he’s broke she drops him. When he continues to pursue her, she tortures him. When he runs out of money he does the only thing he can think of to keep up with her extravagant lifestyle: Take up her profession.
Initially Irene is the kind of woman you’ll love to hate. Shallow, greedy, concerned only with sucking money out of rich, besotted, soon to drop dead elderly gentlemen. There’s little in her to like, and it’s difficult to see why a lovable sap like Jean would have anything to do with her once he gets past whatever physical attraction he has for her. And Priceless is at first, content to let us go right on hating her. There’s no attempt in the movie to justify her, she simply is and we follow Jean as he watches her use him and use other men, only to repeatedly suffer for it. Along the way though, perhaps has a consequence of seeing her through Jean’s eyes, our view of her changes. Sure she’s a greedy bitch, but maybe there’s hope for Irene and it’s the hope that perhaps she can become something better that turns gives the movie life and makes a potential relationship between hapless Jean and cold Irene inexplicably worth investing in.
Priceless is a movie about love that never actually speaks the word. Instead it trades on great chemistry between its two leading actors and an amazing script filled with subtle comedy and hilarious romantic and sexual banter to build a story, and lets love simply grow up around it. This is not your typical snobby French romance film. It’s nimble, light on its feet, frequently hilarious, and wonderfully entertaining. In a world of bland, derivative, dead romantic comedies churned out by the dozen, Priceless is not to be missed.
