Happy End (2003)
"Nowhere to Go But Up" (original title)

Val is 23 years old and full of dreams. She travels to New York to become an actress. She is lonely in a strange country, in a strange city, with little money and no friends. In her path, ... See full summary »

Director:

Amos Kollek

Writer:

Amos Kollek

Stars:

Audrey Tautou, Justin Theroux, Jennifer Tilly

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Audrey Tautou	...	Val Chipzik
Justin Theroux	...	Jack
Jennifer Tilly	...	Edna
Laila Robins	...	Irene
Catherine Curtin	...	Beatrix (as Cathy Curtin)
Frank Pellegrino	...	Bernie
Jenna Lamia	...	Sparkle
Juan Carlos Hernández	...	Eddie
Bruce MacVittie	...	Benito
Joe Zaloom	...	Karim
Karen Evans Kandel	...	Studio Executive (as Karen Kandel)
Cherita Armstrong	...	Hooker
Yusef Bulos	...	Flower Shop Owner
Umit Celebi	...	Waiter
Jenny Sterlin	...	Speech Teacher

Storyline

Val is 23 years old and full of dreams. She travels to New York to become an actress. She is lonely in a strange country, in a strange city, with little money and no friends. In her path, she meets weird people who they, also, seek their dreams but everyday life gets in the way. Tired and hungry she sits on the corner of a building. Across the street a writer whose fantasy has dry out. In an instant she becomes his muse... At the Oscar's night she will be the one with the Golden Globe in her hands.

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Plot Keywords:

new york | loneliness

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA France Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 December 2003 (France)

Also Known As:

All the Way to the Top

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

F.R.P., Forensic Films, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Chronica shel mashber (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Nowhere To Go But Up"
© 2003 Icoja Music
Written by Chico Freeman and Jan Pulsford
Produced by Chico Freeman

User Reviews

disaster

It's quite unfortunate that some artists who are perfectly cast in the movie that brings them fame end up being victims of that particular memorable performance. That is, they are identified with one single character which casts a shadow over their remaining career. Great artists manage to overcome this barrier, whereas artists who are limited in characters they could effectively portray move the wrong way. Downwards. Self-destructing themselves. Audrey Tautou belongs to the latter category. She gave it all to Amelie Poulain. And even though the movies that followed "Amelie" were not bad, excitement that surrounded her eventually declined. Before being re-cast by Jean-Pierre Jeunet in "A Very Long Engagement", where Tautou portrays a dry variation of our beloved Amelie Poulain, Tautou chose to take part in a disaster called "Nowhere to Go But Up". Basically, the movie behind this review. "Nowhere to Go But Up", I dare say, is prosaic characterized by a banal script and disastrous acting. Nevertheless, it's somewhat hard to say which is worse, the tasteless movie itself or Audrey Tautou who explicitly demonstrates her numerous shortcomings as an actress.