The Art of Loving

Charming bachelor Archille (Francois Cluzet) is astonished when his new neighbor (Frédérique Bel) rings his doorbell in a negligee and the conversation between the two turns to a possible affair after just a few minutes. But unfortunately, the execution turns out to be far more difficult than the very pleasant idea. Also dreaming of a passionate affair is Isabelle (Julie Depardieu), who hasn't had sex in months and is therefore even willing to accept an unusual proposal from her acquaintance Amélie (Judith Godrèche): the latter had granted her best friend Boris (Laurent Stocker), who had confessed his love for her, a lovers' tryst. But since she has come to regret that promise, Isabelle is now supposed to wait for Boris in a darkened hotel room instead of her, hoping that the man in love won't notice the difference.

But these aren't the only people whose lives are defined by the turmoil surrounding love. There's also Emmanuelle (Ariana Ascaride), who moves out of the apartment they share after years of marriage to satisfy her suddenly awakened sexual hunger for other men. Or the young couple William (Gaspard Ulliel) and Vanessa (Élodie Navarre), who are so sure of their mutual trust that they want to try their hand at an open relationship. They all dream of mastering it: The Art of Loving.

Following his charming comedy Kiss Me Please, director Emmanuel Cluzet remains true to this metier with his new film, The Art of Loving. His episodic film about love, lust and frustration in Paris uses a mixture of sometimes rather profound, then again loosely lascivious humour, a strong shot of romance and a lot of neurotic characters. These are brought to life by a superb ensemble of actors, including the likes of Francois Cluzet from the hit movie Pretty Best Friends, Judith Gordeche from The Jewel and Gérard Depardieu's daughter Julie.

Mouret's new film also does a fine job of letting his characters express their love in the most roundabout way possible. That some of the stories work better than others is no real surprise for an episodic film like this. Highly original ideas and touching moments alternate with rather flat meaninglessness with nice regularity. But the production always remains sympathetic even in the weaker moments and one is inclined to forgive the comedy even its little low points. Because in the end it becomes clear: even if the whole thing is sometimes a bit hectic and chaotic, The Art of Loving is filled with French charm, joie de vivre and a lot of romance. And for that it gets a well-deserved: Worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp