Power may be sexy, as the saying goes, but the truth of the matter is that the exercise of power is ugly. In the opening acts of the French romantic comedy “Priceless”, this ugliness is on full display as professional gold-digger Irene (Audrey Tatou of “Amelie” fame) wields her sexual power without pretense or sentiment over Jean, a lovestruck hotel manservant masquerading as a man of leisure (played with subdued charm by Gad Elmaleh). The hapless and helpless Jean is quickly bankrupted by Irene’s unrelenting lifestyle demands, but she suddenly finds herself in a similar state when their relationship is discovered by her sugar daddy fiancée. Penniless, both Irene and Jean scramble to parlay their youth and sexuality into financial rewards by hustling the old and rich who vacation in the posh resorts of Southern France, all the while developing a camaraderie that inevitably threatens to become something more.
It’s a tribute to the screenplay’s unmistakably French outlook on life that “Priceless” does such a fine job of finding humor in the constant tug of war between the power of money and sex that defines the lives of its two main characters. “It is what it is, let us accept it and laugh at it”, the film says. Instead of recoiling in horror, we are amused when Jean parlays faux sulkiness into a gift of an exorbitantly priced watch, and then proceeds to flaunt his achievement to an appreciative Irene.
In contrast, consider the decidedly American “Pretty Woman”, which treads in the same territory but cannot reach romantic climax until it has absolved Julia Roberts’ virginal whore (no kissing on the mouth???) from the sins of her sexuality and rescued Richard Gere’s corporate raider from the emptiness and corruption of his wealth. The French have always insisted on romance without morality, while we Americans stew in our combustible mix of love, virtue, and sex. Like the gifts showered on Jean and Irene by their benefactors, “Pricelesss” asks only to be appreciated as the delightful bauble that it is.
"Priceless” is currently playing in New York, and is hopefully coming soon to a theatre or Netflix near you.
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