The Taste of Others Movie Review 2000

This classy import is a hard sell to American audiences; first, it's in French, and second, it begins as if the first reel is missing--the low-key action opens with two banal conversations at separate tables. Actress/writer Jaoui, in her directorial debut, takes time in sorting out relationships. Eventually it becomes clear that married, boorish businessman Castella (Bacri) is falling for 40-year-old actress Clara (Alvaro), who's fretting about aging and her uncertain prospects, and who has been hired to teach Castella English. He pursues, she resists--at first. Meanwhile, Castella's tough bodyguard Moreno (Lanvin) is involved with Clara's friend, free-spirited barmaid Manie (Jaoui). For fans of Rohmer, it works. The characters are engagingly different and interesting. The film looks as sharp and polished as a comparable Hollywood ensemble comedy. French with subtitles.

Distribution

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521-1120, Toll-free: 800-723-4763, URL: http://www.bvhe.com

Available on DVD
Running time 112 minutes.
Originally from French.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Corporate Shenanigans, Comedy Drama, Sex & Sexuality, Bar & Grill, Marriage, Smuggler's Blues, Bodyguards, France, Adultery

Screenplay

Jean-Pierre Bacri, Agnes Jaoui

Cast

Jean-Pierre Bacri, Christiane Millet, Agnes Jaoui, Anne Alvaro, Gerard Lanvin, Wladimir Yordanoff, Brigitte Catillon, Xavier De Guillebon, Alain Chabat, Raphael Defour

Cinematography

Laurent Dailland

Director

Agnes Jaoui

Music

Jean-Charles Jarrell

Other

Herve De Luze, Francois Emmanuelli

Producer

Charles Gassot, Christian Berard, Offline Releasing