Combien tu m'aimes? (2005)

Director:

Bertrand Blier

Writer:

Bertrand Blier (writer)

Release Date:

26 October 2005 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

French Director Bertrand Blier creates an intensely seductive story about beauty, sex and Love.

Plot:

In Paris, after winning the lottery, the clerk François goes to a bar in Pigalle and offers one hundred...

Plot Keywords:

Italian Woman | Party | Prostitute | Love Affair | Loss Of Friend

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Monica Bellucci	...	Daniela
Bernard Campan	...	François
Gérard Depardieu	...	Charly
Jean-Pierre Darroussin	...	André Migot
Edouard Baer	...	L'homme bouleversé
Farida Rahouadj	...	La voisine
Sara Forestier	...	Muguet
Michel Vuillermoz	...	Le toubib
François Rollin	...	Michael
Jean Barney	...	Garde du corps 1
Baptiste Roussillon	...	Garde du corps 2
Jean Dell	...	Homme du cimetière
Michaël Abiteboul	...	Collègue François
Fabienne Chaudat	...	Collègue François
Thomas Badek	...	Le voisin

Also Known As:

How Much Do You Love Me? (Australia) (International: English title)
Combien tu gagnes? (France) (working title)
Per sesso o per amore? (Italy)

Runtime:

France:95 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:MA | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:III | Singapore:R21 | South Korea:18 | Japan:R-18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

France

Company:

Fidélité Productions

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Bertrand Blier]first customer of the prostitute who wants to go to Seychelles (Muguet).

A Nutshell Review: How Much Do You Love Me?

How Much Do You Love Me? examines that emotion called Love, or what it's perceived to be. Will you make pretend and move in with someone? Are you loving someone because of his riches? Or because of his huge wiener or her hot body? Is it purely lust or love? And how in the world do fugly people snag all the hot chicks too? Between money and love, which would you choose (and taking too long to decide doesn't earn you brownie points)? Like Pretty Woman, only with less candy fluff, how can someone fall in love with a whore? (Ok, so it might sound politically incorrect, but that's how the movie plays it out)

A regular joe, Francois, falls for a prostitute at a bar. Played by Monica Belluci, Daniela is the obsession of Francois, as he engages her services for 100,000 Euros to live with him for a month (she charges 150 Euros a night, so work out the math) until he runs out of cash. A balding man who just won the lottery of 4 million Euros and some, he sure knows how to pick up and select his women.

Soon after, Francois becomes the envy of everyone (so is Vincent Cassell, but I digress), as friends like his personal doctor advises him to go easy on his escapades because of his weak heart. But in this black comedy, unfortunate events befall upon those who try to keep the couple apart. It's a tad interesting too as the movie plays out the fantasies of these nay- sayers, as they too lust after Daniela in secret.

There's a twist to all the madness, and the final revelation will make you go "ahh!" as the scheme is unveiled to a whacked out near ending sequence (do I love that sexy dance move). However, as do most art movies go, the ending leaves much to be interpreted in many ways. The visuals are beautiful to look at, and no, I'm not just talking about Bellucci here, although I'd rather watch her in action than the other old babe Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct 2. Blended with a lot of jazz, it has a bluesy feel to it all, punctuating melancholic mood throughout as felt by the characters.

And it's the three key characters who keep the storyline interesting. A regular bloke buying his way to a woman's heart. A woman who whores because she wants to (and probably satisfying her insatiable appetite for sex), and her gangster husband Charly (Gerard Depardieu) who allows her to do what she wants to, as his interpretation of love is the clichéd "if you love her set her free. If she returns she's yours" belief. In the end, love is also about respect, and that's the lesson Charly needed to learn.

It's plenty talk about love, sex and even orgasms, and the highlight is probably the three way negotiation on the table as Francois and Charly haggle the price over Daniela. Can love be attached with a price? How much is it worth? The plenty of ah-peks in the audience will probably have an answer to this question, and no doubt, ensure this movie's longevity in local screens.