Ray Pride

(Comme un image) Agnès Jaoui, who writes plays and screenplays with her partner, Jean-Pierre Bacri, has only one prior credit as a director, 2000's "The Taste of Others," a delicious, civilized round of misunderstandings that still did not forecast that she could make a movie as keenly carpentered and effortlessly offhand as the marvelous "Look at Me" (2004), a complex but rich comedy largely about the often brackish taste of fame and the inevitable pain of self-esteem, whether weak or strong. Jaoui and Bacri have written movies like Cedric Klapisch's 1996 "Family Resemblances" and Alain Resnais' 1997 "Same Old Song," but their work together on Jaoui's two pictures is sweet, both as writers and as actors. They write rich roles for themselves, but also for everyone in the cast. Jaoui plays the harried modern woman who believes there's some sense to everyone's comings and goings, and Bacri plays the bullheaded man who never hears anyone but himself. In "Look at Me," there's a play of looks and grimaces among several interlocking couples involved in Parisian publishing and music that's a thrill even beyond the neatly structured storytelling. The central character, Lolita (Marilou Berry), has a hauntingly beautiful face and voice, yet suffers from how she thinks others see her, for her weight, for her father's connections. She thinks of herself "comme un image," as if she should live up to a photo when, in fact, she can sing "comme un ange," like an angel, which the French title neatly puns upon. Drama, comedy, romance--Jaoui has a fierce, cosmopolitan appetite, and "Look at Me" is a delight. 110m.

"Look at Me" opens Friday at the Music Box.

(2005-04-19)

Also by Ray Pride

Burp of a nation
From a kingdom half the size of Lake Michigan, more than 350 different concerns produce 800 types of beer, over 100 of which will be represented this weekend at Chicago's first Belgian Beer Celebration
(2005-04-12)

The welcoming of chance
Hal Hartley calls his newest movie, "The Girl from Monday," "fake sci-fi." What it is, genuinely, is an anomaly.
(2005-04-12)

Tip of the Week
Jean-Luc Godard's timeless 1966 pop telegram never seems to age
(2005-04-12)

Tip of the Week
"Dust to Glory"'s so good that I'm happy to confess my eyes, though sometimes teared up, stayed on the screen and my jaw was often unattractively open
(2005-04-05)

Unconsummated
(2005-04-05)

Tip of the Week
(2005-03-29)

Interesting Times
(2005-03-29)

Reality shows
(2005-03-22)

Tip of the Week
(2005-03-22)

Father knows guest
(2005-03-22)

Tip of the Week
(2005-03-15)

Trouble in mind
(2005-03-15)

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment