Taste Of Others DVD

French screenwriter and actress Agnès Jaoui's assured directorial debut is a funny, clever, and moving examination of the intertwining love lives and differing cultural standpoints of an unlikely group of men and women. When Castella (Jean-Pierre Bacri), a successful factory owner bored with his workaday life, unwillingly accompanies his shrill, high-strung wife, Angelique (Christiane Millet) to a performance of Racine's BÉRÉNICE, he falls hard for the lead actress, Clara (Anne Alvaro). Meanwhile, during the performance, Castella's chauffeur, Deschamps (Alain Chabat) has a surprise run-in with Manie, (Agnès Jaoui), a bartender with whom he once had a one-night stand. This touches off a discussion about women and sex with Castella's hard-edged bodyguard, Moreno (Gerard Lanvin), who warns Deschamps about his romantic naiveté. Castella's new goal to pursue the intelligent, sophisticated Clara is aided by fate when she becomes his English instructor. Clara, along with her artistic friends, however, is less than enthralled by Castella's tactlessness and lack of culture. At the same time, the soulful Deschamps, cynical Moreno, and cool, carefree Manie enter into an unexpected relationship. Jaoui's accomplished, funny tale features excellent performances, and is a wise look at the complexities of love and the errors people make in falsely judging each other.

Theatrical Release: February 9, 2001 (NY). February 13, 2001 (LA). Agnès Jaoui and her husband, Jean-Pierre Bacri (Castella) co-wrote the film. They have collaborated previously on several plays for which they also wrote the screen adaptations, including UN AIR DE FAMILLE, and SAME OLD SONG for which they won screenwriting Cesárs. Jaoui cast Anne Alvaro as Clara, because like her character, Alvaro has been an eminent yet unknown stage actress for many years. The film has been nominated for 8 Cesár awards (the French Oscar), including Best Film and Best Director. The film is France's entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2001 Academy Awards.

Taste Of Others Reviews:

"...A witty, sociologically astute reflection on the attraction between opposites....[A] beautifully acted movie..." -- Stephen Holden, New York Times

"...Jaoui creates a wonderful scenario....By the end, we know and admire these strong-willed people..." -- Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

"...Enjoyably nimble....Engrossing thanks both to the quality of the ensemble performances and the sympathy the film-makers extend to their credibly human characters..."-- Tom Dawson, Total Film

This is the only Anne Alvaro video.

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