Review of Priceless (2006) by Hal M — 11 Dec 2011

A good script by Pierre Salvadori and Benoît Graffin is disappointing on the screen. Its constantly grating flaw is the casting of Gad Elmelah as a charming hotel bartender who exercises magnetic attraction over a couple desirable women. Gad is colorless in the extreme, by no means a man of great physical beauty, and just plain a blight on this film. Audrey Tautou is fine though--playing really quite a different character than in Amelie. Salvadori's direction also lacks the crispness and control a romantic comedy needs; he tends to HOLD forever on characters as they express surprise, or they hem and haw inarticulately, which is exasperating and a sure laugh-killer.

I'd like to see this script remade someday...