First of all, and I have no idea how many times should I repeat it, so everyone gets it- Beautiful Lies is nothing like Amelie. The only thing that is common for both of these films is Audrey Toutou, nothing else. So if you loved Amelie and it is one of your favourite films (like mine), then ignore Beautiful Lies. Think more Priceless or Heartbreaker than Amelie when you go to see it. I hope I made it clear. Any mentions of Amelie will make this film even more disappointed than it is already.
French romantic comedies are like a separate genre in the genre of romantic comedies. Not only do they have European freshness and characters that we can actually identify with, but also they are usually very quirky. So quirky they are, that sometimes they reach the edge of being disturbing and uncomfortable to watch when we actually think about what we are watching. This is the case of Beautiful Lies to me. So first, the synopsis as presented by Trinity, because I am too lazy to come up with my own (and because it is a film about copying):
30-year old Emilie runs a hairdressing salon, and provides an endless stream of well-meaning advice to her clients and friends...(
I have only noticed that she cuts of the fringe for a customer who obviously doesn't want it to be cut)
Sadly the one person she can't seem to help is Maddy, her mother, who has given up the will to live since being left by her husband.
Jean, a young man who works for Emilie is secretly in love with her but a pathological shyness prevents him from declaring his feelings (
it doesn't prevent him to sleep with both Emilie and her mother). Finally (
five minutes in, unable to contain himself, he opens his heart in a passionate anonymous letter. (
which content we learn by heart almost, so many times they repeat it in this film).
Entirely untouched by this confession and terrified to see her mother slipping deeper and deeper into despair, Emilie concocts a crazy plan: she'll change the name at the top of the letter and send it to Maddy.
Deeply touched by this beautiful declaration of love, Maddy rediscovers the will to live and begins to watch for the mail (
I wouldn't really call it a will to live if your whole life revolves around a post box). While she's over the moon to see her mother returning to life, Emilie is fully aware of the problems that lie ahead. Not only must she supply Maddy with more love letters, she must also find someone willing to play the author...
dot dot dot, and it's Jean of course. Why has it be Jean we never find out, but obviously this leads to uncomfortable situations. And I really was all prepared to laugh cheerfully, but when I discovered that the theory of love letters is taken into a practice, I suddenly started feeling uncomfortable. Lying in this film seems to be more than acceptable. Even though Jean teaches Emilie a lesson, he agrees for her to lie at the end of the movie. And why is she so grateful when her mother's revenge is so over the top cruel? What is wrong with these French passionate people who just search for more complex way for their intrigues? It is like some sort of an obsession because otherwise life won't be interesting enough. And it's with every romantic comedy- words unspoken, spies, cryptic letters and symbolic allusions. Nobody can actually live like that and in French romantic comedies, nobody lives differently.
It freaks me out.
instead of following another guy, this woman should seek psychological help.
and here, the one on the left, she really suffers from some serious depression, but nobody ever cares. What the fuck is wrong with you people?
Instead of romantic comedy, we get some pretty serious types of problems hidden in a little love intrigue which isn't half as interesting as Emilie's drinking problems. I would watch a film about that.
So Beautiful Lies for me is just 5/10. But I can imagine that most people will find it brainless and pleasurable to watch. To me it's just disturbing
