If "Hors de Prix" ("Priceless" ) is supposed to be romantic or a comedy, it has some plot problems which work against it. Part of it is that I am indeed old fashioned, but even common sense tells you that Jean is going about finding love in a ridicuous and self-defeating fashion! In other words, "Kids: Don't Try This at Home!".
When the story begins, Jean (Gad Elmaleh) is working as a bartender in a very upscale hotel. His night has been very slow and when Irène (Audrey Tautou) comes to the bar, she mistakes him for one of the hotel's rich patrons. Soon, they end up in bed together. Later, they repeat this...and the man who is footing the bill for Irène discovers this is happening and cuts her off. Now, in need of a rich sugar daddy, she returns to Jean...not knowing he's just a lowly working man. He doesn't realize that she is, in fact, a lowly working woman...albeit a very high priced one! And, in order to impress her and keep her, he spends what little he has on her...and it disappears very, very quickly.
So, Jean is a liar and beds a woman on false pretenses. And, Irène is a high priced call girl. Sounds like the ideal basis for a relationship, don't you think? And that is my problem with the film. While the actors were very good, I just couldn't get past the fact that they were very selfish and unlikable...especially Irène. As for Jean, he was just completely foolish and his indiscretions only get worse! Normally, you should like characters in a film...particularly a romantic comedy. But here they just seemed selfish and awful...and it ruined the experience for me.
When the story begins, Jean (Gad Elmaleh) is working as a bartender in a very upscale hotel. His night has been very slow and when Irène (Audrey Tautou) comes to the bar, she mistakes him for one of the hotel's rich patrons. Soon, they end up in bed together. Later, they repeat this...and the man who is footing the bill for Irène discovers this is happening and cuts her off. Now, in need of a rich sugar daddy, she returns to Jean...not knowing he's just a lowly working man. He doesn't realize that she is, in fact, a lowly working woman...albeit a very high priced one! And, in order to impress her and keep her, he spends what little he has on her...and it disappears very, very quickly.
So, Jean is a liar and beds a woman on false pretenses. And, Irène is a high priced call girl. Sounds like the ideal basis for a relationship, don't you think? And that is my problem with the film. While the actors were very good, I just couldn't get past the fact that they were very selfish and unlikable...especially Irène. As for Jean, he was just completely foolish and his indiscretions only get worse! Normally, you should like characters in a film...particularly a romantic comedy. But here they just seemed selfish and awful...and it ruined the experience for me.