"Out of the 300 I've Screwed, I'd Recognise 20"

You were going to get a post about my dreams, but Dan was saying the other day how much he and Marie love watching romantic films. Which got me thinking. I'm not into "chick" films, but there are a lot of films which are romantic but aren't just for women. These tend to be older films and foreign ones.

I'm guessing that none of you will want to watch this, but one of my favourite "romantic" films is Les Gout Des Autres. You wouldn't think it from the title, but it's in French.

Anyway, the film's title in English is either "The Taste of Others", or "It Takes All Kinds". I think it's known in America by the latter, which is less of a literal translation, but describes what the film is all about.

Our hero Mr Castella is a businessman who owns a factory somewhere in provincial France. He was educated in the university of life. He is married to a nightmare of a wife who fancies herself as an interior designer. Except that you wouldn't want her to design your interior. Unless you were Barbara Cartland. They spend their evenings watching soaps.

One evening they have to go to the theatre, because their neice is acting in a play. They get there, unenthusiastically, and then when it starts Castella says "Shit, it's in verse!". However, he changes his mind when he sees one of the actresses. It's love at first sight. By an amazing co-incidence he was also about to employ her to teach him English.

English Lessons (Jean-Pierre Bacri & Anne Alvaro)

She doesn't like him because he's a philistine, who writes her embarrassing love poems as part of his English exercises. He, on the other hand is making a reasonable job of trying to get used to her world, even commissioning artwork from one of her gay friends.
[Not that there's anything wrong with it]

The film's writer, director and real-life wife of Jean-Pierre Bacri (Castella) is Agnes Jaoui. She plays a barmaid who deals drugs on the side. She serves Castella's chauffeur and recognises him. He's surprised, says he doesn't remember her. How does she know him? "We just had sex, that's all", she replies.

So they spend another night together. "How could I forget?" he asks. Later she admits to her friend, "How could I remember?" Never mind, she's soon having a much more satisfying time with Castella's bodyguard.

Agnes Jaoui during filming

It's a film that has me laughing all the way through. Oh, and you find out at the end the point of all those clips of the chauffeur practising the flute. I realised when I started writing this that I could have written a blog post about each of 5 or 6 characters, you get to know them all so well. Which is good going for 108 minutes.

One other thing about this film (and "Comme une Image" also with Jaoui and Bacri) is the wonderful use of music. If you ever get the chance and you can even stand subtitles a bit, watch it.