It's a silly, slightly romantic time in the south of France with delightful Audrey Tautou starring as Irene, a professional gold digger working her way through luxury hotels and aging sugar daddies in "Priceless" (original French title "Hors de prix"). It seems that Irene has done pretty well for herself, acquiring a fabulous wardrobe, jewelry, entry to some of the most palatial hostleries in Nice and Monaco. Everything except the one thing she's looking for: a rich husband who will put an end to her increasingly tiresome quest for the good life. Her counterpart, Jean (played with low key charm by Gad Elmaleh), works as a barman and dog walker in the same hotels inhabited by Irene. He's honest but weary, patiently dealing with the wealth dowager owners of his canine charges but clearly longing for something more. When Jean and Irene meet cute in a hotel bar area, she mistakes him for one of the rich guests and he, instantly smitten, allows the charade to continue. As the unlikely pair embark on a series of wacky encounters, it becomes clear they are a perfectly matched combo, though Irene refuses to acknowledge it once she learns the truth about who Jean really is. Taking a page from Irene's book, Jean falls in with a wealthy widow (an excellent performance by Marie-Christine Adam) in order to remain in the elite circles to which Irene is addicted, still hoping to win her love.
Tautou is always fun to watch, showing a little more range as the money grubbing, lonely Irene (a far cry from her famous Amelie character) and Elmaleh provides a good foil for her with enough comic flare to make his character work. There's also a nice performance by Vernon Dobtcheff as Jacques, one of Irene's more serious suitors. Some of the situations seem forced, even repetitious, making the humor fall flat, but there's enough of that breezy, madcap French funniness to compensate for the misfires. These characters aren't very complicated so it hardly matters that the outcome is a foregone conclusion.
Things to love about this movie: The delicious locales (Nice, Monaco, ooh la la); an interesting soundtrack; French flavored humor; sweet little details (food, place settings, glorious hotel suites)
Things to hate about this movie: The movie can't decide if it's only a light hearted romp or is trying to say something about creature comforts and tries to have it both ways; predictable storyline and situations
Pleasant surprises: A little bit of edge as we're reminded, along with the two lead characters, just how cold the rich can be; more charm than expected; a corny ending that somehow works; Elmaleh's strange appeal
Unpleasant surprises: While Tautou looks lovely in her expensive wardrobe, she's terribly skinny
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