I don’t know if you remember this, but during the ’80s, Imelda Marcos had the Manila International Film Festival.
I was in school then, but I remember half day only because we had exams. So I would rush home in my uniform, park the folding table in front of TV, eat KFC, and watch foreign subtitled movies—every single day until the festival was over.
I had the time of my life. I wasn’t an A student, obviously, but I passed all my exams.
Thus began my love affair of foreign movies.
Last Saturday night I couldn’t sleep. I started watching various trailers on iTunes, until I stumbled upon a 2006 French movie called Hors de Prix.
It stars Audrey Tatou (Amelie, Da Vinci Code, Coco Before Chanel) as Irene, a gold-digger on the prowl in the French Riviera. She likes them old and rich.
French-Moroccan stand-up comedian and actor Gad Elmaleh co-stars as Jean, a hotel employee, who gets mistaken for a millionaire when Irene finds him drinking at the hotel bar.
A one-night stand leads to a second, and Irene discovers who Jean really is.
Smitten, he allows the material girl to drain his life savings, forcing him to hook up with a wealthy widow.
But let’s not give away the rest of the story.
I have to say watching this made me feel like high school again—with my uniform, TV tray and KFC.
Except I watched this in bed while everyone was sleeping, under the blanket and with headphones.
I love how Gad Elmaleh transforms into a lowly bartender into a dashing gentleman, while Audrey Tautou has the body to die for!!
Makes me wish I were young again. I could study French again, visit Paris more.
And I need to watch more foreign films.
Now don’t let this trailer fool you. The movie, though a bit long in some scenes, is really worth watching.
Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.