Le rôle de sa vie

French cinema does a romantic comedy so much better than Hollywood that it could be the chief reason why the mavens want to wipe it out. Here's an engrossing slice of Parisian celebrity life, superbly photographed and brilliantly edited. The acting is so true-to-life that during Reel Two you become part of the picture and vanish into it. After these two gifted actresses have interacted with their leading man, the U.S. babes look so-0-0 cheesy. Jonathan Zaccai perhaps will never hit the English-language stage or screen, but in his own medium, well, he's the best. The sexual attraction between his character and those of Jaoui and Viard is scalding and they play it to perfection. Sexual attraction is what a rom-com is all about, and Paris delivers it fully clothed. The movie's theme-tune features the keyboard stylings of Errol Garner, a rediscovery that typifies this cultured and deeply savvy picture.