Lorna Irvine reviews 'an endless comedic orgy of invention'.
Michel Gondry and Luc Bossi's film, tonight receiving its premiere at the GFT as part of Glasgow Film Festival, is a stunning, retro-styled bittersweet romance that's also an endless comedic orgy of invention.
Colin, another of Gondry's neurotic losers, played by Romain Duris, is struggling to find love, in spite of his wealth. It doesn't help that one of his best friends Nicolas (Omar Sy) is a handsome chef who is a hit with the ladies. Until he is introduced to the beautiful Chloe (Audrey Tautou) at a party and things appear to be looking better.
The leads are endlessly charming, a great match in idiosyncrasies, coping equally well with heart-breaking moments as with the giddy head rush of falling in love, with fantastic support from Aissa Maga and Gad Elmaleh. Whenever things threaten to get too saccharine, a pratfall occurs, or something sour and unexpected. Of course, there is also an allusion or two to the work of Duke Ellington as the title would suggest, but to tell would be to drop spoilers.
In the main, the tropes and styles of European cinema are paid homage to: Bunuel's warped cynicism; Demy's magic realism. Literary pretensions are skewered with the brilliantly named character Jean Sol Partre! There's even a nod to Czech film genius Jan Svankmajer in the more bizarre visuals, where eels fall out of taps, whole gardens appear in kitchen drawers and typewriters slide sideways.
But there are also nods to Gondry's retrospective pop video work in the use of stock footage (Lucas' video for Lucas with the Lid Off), words jumping off books (Bjork's Bachelorette) and extreme bendiness(Foo Fighters' Everlong). If anyone can do a cover version of himself, surely it's Gondry, with his eye-popping back catalogue.
The shift in styles keeps things fresh and zesty, yet there is a slightly overdone feeling which stops the film being a genuine masterpiece. Perhaps, as with all of our favourite music, it just needs to be experienced again.
Part of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival.
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