And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen... (2002) - film review

Tired of his career as a jewel thief, Valentin buys a boat and sets out on a round-the-world tour.  A serious head injury puts an end to his maritime adventure when he arrives on the coast  of Morocco.  Whilst he receives medical treatment, he meets Jane, a singer who has also started to show symptoms of memory loss.  Whilst Valentin is clearly attracted to her, Jane appears reluctant to start another relationship…

Even die-hard fans of Claude Lelouch’s work are unlikely to be overly impressed with this latest offering from the “director critics love to hate”.  True, there are some moments of well-intended hilarity (Jeremy Irons dragged up to his high teeth is about as good as it gets) and the glossy production values at least create the impression of a classy piece of cinema.  The problem is that – as with many of Lelouch’s films lately – clumsy artistic pretensions vastly overwhelm any real merit, so whilst the film is pretty to look at, it offers no more than a shallow cinematic experience.  Patricia Kaas is probably the film’s strongest selling point – her portrayal of a woman in mid-life turmoil is at least sympathetic, although this is effectively undermined by the obvious lack of chemistry with her wooden English co-star.

© James Travers 2006

Write a review for this film...

What do you think of this film?