O Gosto dos Outros

A rich but uncultured provincial businessman falls for a local actress and pushes himself into her circle of arty friends. Initially they see him as a Philistine and treat him as a joke, but their attitudes change when he becomes a potential buyer for their work. Meantime, his interior designer wife is forcing her chintzy styles onto his sister who has moved in nearby, and his bodyguard and his driver are having to deal with their own shortcomings in their amorous encounters with a local barmaid.

The interwoven sub-plots, the intelligent characterisation and the witty dialogue make this a sophisticated drama in the best sense. The film indulges neither the shallow bourgeoisie nor the supercilious bohemians, but all the characters are real and believable.

If the plot offers no easy solutions to the complex needs and insecurities of its characters, it does at least show each of them, in his or her own way, learning something significant about themselves and about other people. The two leading characters in particular come to see each other in a more accepting light, and a direction for the future is opened up.

The confidence, intelligence and humour with which director Agnes Jaoui presents these tangled lives are a pleasure to experience, and she offers a refreshing and very European alternative to the more clichéd characterisation favoured by Hollywood.

Magnificent piece of actors' work, the movie unites a set of characters elaborately put together, like a human puzzle, and the result is nothing short of spectacular. The quality of this script allows us to rethink everything about the characters we take for granted, and there is always a surprise around the corner, which, for the viewer, is one rewarding experience, since the story is so simple, and yet so complex. At the end, we won't believe our eyes - talk about character arcs! Rest assured, this is a movie always worth seeing and one of the best actors' movies I have seen for years.

Castella isn´t very happy with his life, although his firm runs quite well. He´s tired, and unlucky with his wife. There are his bodyguard Franck, and his driver Bruno, who also got problems in their relationships. But one day Castella falls in love with Clara, his new business english teacher. He tries to change his life for her...

"Le gout des autres" is Agnes Jaoui´s debut as a director. She wrote the script together with her husband Jean Pierre Bacri (Castella) and also plays the role of Manie the waitress, Francks girlfriend. I have seen both together three years ago in "On connait la chanson", a wonderful musical-comedy. After watching "Le gout des autres" I felt like walking on clouds. Honestly, I LOVE french comedies for this! Irresistible, charming, enchanting!

A slice of potentially real French life, elegantly portrayed with the believable people ('characters' is the wrong word) being eminently watchable. It's a witty comedy that plays as a tragedy. The excellent screenplay reveals itself hesitantly, but that is the charm. The audience joins the story in the middle and leaves it before the end. The subtle everyday conflict of clashing tastes born of different beliefs - and no few prejudices - may seem rather boring plot compared with the latest Hollywood caper, but it leaves a magnificent impression of social relevance. And if you have not experienced the culture of everyday France, pay attention to the focal point the cafe takes. A word of praise to the two main architects: co-author (Agnes Jaoui) who directs herself as the barmaid (Manie) and her coauthor (Jean-Pierre Bacri) who writes himself the somewhat awful role of Castella. I must look out for their other works.

Let other users tell the story of this little, yet surprisingly success-growing movie. The title might say it all: every character tries to please someone else, in other words, tries to meet the taste of the others. Sadly, it seems a very difficult result to accomplish, since the fate of everyone is bound to solitude and misunderstanding. There seems to be one exception to the rule: surprisingly, it is the character that, for all the movie long, has been treated like the most foolish and disgusting (Castella). The end does not tell, we don't know whether he and his beloved, funny and complicated actress will meet. At least, he tried to change its life and, whilst trying to get closer to her (pretending to love art and theater), he discovers something deeper and true about himself. In this respect, a happy end would have been completely inconsistent with the movie and would not have added anything to the depiction of the characters. People get close only to lose each other, the director seems to say. The driver's girl will not come back from America, the barmaid and the former policeman are not corageous enough to make the first step. A fine written movie as it is rare to see these days (8/10).