And Now Ladies & Gentlemen

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Claude Lelouch may never be the most profound director in the world, but he sure knows how to whip up a catchy distraction. And Now Ladies & Gentlemen finds Lelouch in a skippy, unpredictable mode. Jeremy Irons, who seems to be enjoying himself enormously, is a thief who sets out on a sailing voyage, only to fetch up in Morocco after he blacks out at the helm. There he meets sultry singer Patricia Kaas (her first acting role); it turns out they both might have brain tumors. Did someone say this is a romantic comedy? It is, complete with musical numbers (Kaas glides through a cozy cross-section of French pop music, including the theme from A Man and a Woman, Lelouch's '60s smash). The movie's all over the place, and it spins its wheels for the final half-hour, but there are certain kinds of romantics who will find this sort of thing irresistible. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Good escapism.......2007-05-30

Just a short line to say I enjoyed this, quirky as it was.

Another Man and Another Woman 36 Years Later.......2006-10-17

Claude Lelouch's "And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen" ... (2002) tries to
be a lot of things. It has the elements of romance, thriller, and drama
and much more. It could be called "Another Man and Another Woman 36
years later" and it takes us to London, Paris, and Morocco. A
successful and creative jewel thief Valentin (Jeremy Irons) sails alone
around the world. The fate brings him to Morocco where he meets a night
singer Jean (Patricia Kaas) who hopes to escape from the heartache of
the failed affair. They both suffer from blackouts and amnesia that may
be caused by brain tumors - of course, they were meant to meet. They
will seek the way to save their lives and then change them.

The movie is beautiful to look at, and the songs that Patricia Kaas
sings are wonderful, the best asset of the movie. I read that Kaas's
album "Piano Bar", a hand-picked collection of the popular love songs
inspired Lelouch to make this movie where Kaas debuted as an actress.
I've heard her singing before and I like her a lot. I also think that
her screen debut was successful. Her songs kept the movie together
because there were too many stories intermingling and even though they
were all interesting and compelling, it was not just easy to keep track
of all them.

There was one bitter-sweet moment when I realized that the actress who
played a countess in Morocco's hotel and whose jewels were stolen in a
very manner Valentin would do, was Claudia Cardinale, yes, The Claudia
Cardinale. She is still a beautiful woman but the first thought that
came to my mind was, "What does time do to all of us?"

"And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen" was fun while it lasted. I don't
think I'll want to see it again any time soon but I am going to order
Patricia Kaas's CD and I'll be listening to it often.

Good fun, great music.......2006-05-04

This film may not be as powerful and profound as Lelouch's incredible 1995 "Les Miserables", but it's highly enjoyable and intelligent. It entertains with stories of jewel thefts and amnesia, while at the same gently poking fun at the romanticisation of melancholy. The restrained brooding of the main characters is a sharp contrast to the gorgeous landscapes around them and the cheerfulness of others, and somehow you can't help but chuckle at the antics of these two as they meander their way into a romance. The witty, nonlinear storytelling keeps you guessing to the end, and the wonderful music makes the journey all the more fun. A perfectly lovely way to spend two hours.

Unambitious but entertaining fluff.......2006-02-25

Sometimes it's a director's least ambitious films that are their most satisfying. And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen... may just be a piece of romantic fluff from Claude Lelouch, but it's entertaining romantic fluff that doesn't outstay its welcome even at the 128-minute mark. Lelouch is a talented director whose ambition is only rarely matched by his material, usually overcompensating with impressive technique that fails to hide the thinness of the story and characters. While no-one could ever mistake And Now... for having any depth, it's a pure audience pleaser (albeit possibly for a middle-aged cinema audience that no longer exists) that genuinely pleases. It's rarely laugh out loud funny and it's not one of the great screen romances, but it is a charming and engaging number skilfully crafted.

It's styled after those glossy widescreen 60s romantic comedies about glamorous people in faraway places, usually involving light comic banter and (possibly) wrongly accused gentlemen jewel thieves. Jeremy Irons, so often a hard actor to warm to, is surprisingly likeable here and shows a real gift for comedy in the jewel robbery scenes (the first of which nods amiably to Lelouch's earlier La Bonne Annee). As is his wont, Lelouch casts yet another popular French singer in the other lead, this time Patricia Kass, who turns out better than initially expected. The two are eventually drawn together by the same neurological symptoms, which cause him to dream of returning his ill-gotten gains and her to forget her lyrics while coming over all monochrome, finding themselves in Morocco and en route to a healing shrine and possible romance. With the exception of Thierry L'Hermitte, Amidou and Claudia Cardinale, most of the cast of familiar faces from French cinema have little to do but make an appearance, but they never overbalance the film in the way that the top-heavy casting so often does in the director's other films. Extremely likeable.

It takes an iron will to sit through this one.......2006-01-30

Jeremy Irons makes this worth a look, but it takes 45 minutes too long to get where it's inevitably going. There are some good comedic bits, but most of the movie is given to French characters reciting their lines in ennui-laden tones. A lot of screen time is spent on lounge singing numbers; it might be more pleasant to listen to the soundtrack than watch the movie.

And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen... [Region 2]

Average customer rating:

And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen... [Region 2]
Starring: Jeremy Irons , Patricia Kaas , Thierry Lhermitte , Alessandra Martines , and Claudia Cardinale
Director: Claude Lelouch
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0001ZWN18

Average customer rating:

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000067UZX

DVD:

DVD

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