In this French romantic comedy, director Pierre Salvadori tries to teach a lesson that only the French could manage.  Set in the beautiful south of France, the film, co-written by Salvadori and Benoit Graffin, features an ultimately tasteless, empty story about people who do degrading things to themselves and others. 



That said, it’s all done with clear-eyed insight and a light touch that makes Priceless a serviceable comedy with a delightful adult sensibility.  Add in personable performances by Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh, and even if these are lessons we don’t care about, we’ll at least listen. 



Irene (Tautou) and Jean (Elmaleh) are scrappy interlopers trying to make a living among the very rich.  And who wouldn’t want this lifestyle after just a little taste?  For them, it seems there is no going back.  Tautou’s gamine-like charm, so evident in Amelie, is once again present, but with a welcome sarcastic twist.  Irene isn’t much more than a glorified call girl, a professional gold digger who works her way along the Riviera, looking for elderly gentlemen to finance her expensive shopping habits.  She refers to herself as “dark, short, but beautifully put together”; she knows exactly what she is, what she wants and how to get it. 



Mild-mannered Jean works at a lush hotel in Biarritz where he caters to the varied whims of the richer-than-rich clientele.  One night while working in the bar, he is instantly smitten with Irene, who mistakes him for a rich playboy.  They get drunk, have a blissful night of sex, and she goes back to her rich sugar daddy (Vernon Dobtcheff). 



Skip ahead a year; Irene returns to the hotel where she and Jean have another one-night stand.  However, this time, Irene is caught, dumped by her wealthy lover and only then discovers Jean’s true identity.  Jean follows Irene to Nice, where, exacting revenge, she breaks his bank account on a couture shopping spree. 



Jean, however, does not leave defeated.  In a twist that even Irene cannot foresee, he is picked up in the hotel lobby by an attractive older woman (Marie-Christine Adam).  Seemingly without even thinking or judging his decision, he becomes her lover.  To him, it’s all a way of staying near Irene, who has attached herself to another elderly man with a healthy bank account. 



Irene is at once stunned and pleased that they are now playing at the same game.  She throws open her closet doors to show Jean how the best gold-digging is done.  A sulk here, an unfinished sentence there can bring on jealousy and insecurity.  A little subtle work and Jean is soon wearing a watch worth 30,000 euros and riding a flashy motor scooter. 



Eventually, Irene and Jean come to realize they are clichés, as are the people they prey upon.  There are no illusions here; all intentions are out in the open.  Even the older prey know exactly what is going on.  All of this straightforwardness is refreshing. 



Elmaleh is an expressive comedian whose deadpan stare is reminiscent of Buster Keaton’s; he has some wonderful comedic moments.  And Tautou brings European class to the role of a bad girl whose motto is “take all you can get now.” 



But as a couple, the pragmatic Irene and wistful Jean don’t seem to really connect.  This is the rare French film devoid of any romantic chemistry.  And this lost connection leaves an emotional chasm that cannot be filled by all the money in the world.

Priceless

Two and 1/2 stars



Stars: Audrey Tautou, Gad Elmaleh and Marie-Christine Adam

Director: Pierre Salvadori

Rated: PG-13 for sexual content including nudity