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Herald Rating: ***
The kind of oddball but heartfelt romantic comedy the French do so well, this charming love story is conventionally plotted but discharged with real wit and grace. A large ensemble cast bowls through it with an energy just short of breakneck and the script is as tight as a drum (five writers are credited including the main actor, Chabat, who came up with the idea).
Chabat plays Luis Costa, a 40-something perfume designer who is constantly harried by his mother and five sisters to find a wife. To get them off his back, he decides to pay a workmate's daughter, Emma (Gainsbourg, who has finally shed the distressed gamine look) to impersonate a loving fiancee and stand him up at the altar. His theory is that the family will understand their heartbroken only son's distaste for matrimony and leave him alone.
Naturally enough, his plans go awry from day one and get even more complicated when we realise, before he does, that Emma has an agenda of her own.
Gainsbourg and Chabat have a real chemistry which does not go for either cheap sentiment or overdone shouting matches. The outcome may be predictable, but the pace of the intricate story ensures there is barely time to draw breath. It's an object lesson in comedy writing, veering close to farce but never losing touch with the way real human beings work. Recommended.
Cast: Alain Chabat, Charlotte Gainsbourg
Director: Eric Lartigau Running time: 86 mins Rating: M, contains offensive language and sexual references Screening: Lido, Rialto Verdict: Charming, intricately plotted French romantic comedy, beautifully structured and played
