I saw 'Look At Me' when it was released which struck me as quite true to life with one lead character, a daughter, coming to terms that her difficult father will never change. Perhaps I should have seen 'The Taste of Others' first as it is the counter-point to Jaoui's follow-up as it is about a slow unwitting change.After watching 'Taste/Others', I read reviews including a perceptive one by Roger Ebert, though I felt like Peter Bradshaw, that this film didn't leave as strong impression as I thought it would. It was interesting to read about Agnes Jaoui & Jean-Pierre Bacri's style, ensemble pieces with shifting story lines which make their films difficult to categorise after twenty minutes in. And 'The Taste of Others' is a film about individuals who cannot be easily categorised.It is initially about Castella, an unsophisticated businessman who is drawn to Clara, an actress & part-time English teacher. She appears in Racine's 'Berenice', a play about a lover spurned because of Roman society's disapproval of her, echoing how her coterie of friends disapprove of Castella later. Her impassioned performance leaves Castella moved. This is a subtle film where scenes inform each other. Life imitates art. Later, we see that her performance is not that far off from her own disappointments in life – as a middle aged actress going nowhere – during a heartfelt confession to her friend Manie. Clearly, Castella possesses a much more sophisticated eye than we first realise in contrast to his sometimes rough manner.The film then broadens out to become a variant on a theme, examining a number of relationships as a loose collection of characters are drawn together. Castella has a bodyguard, Franck, a former policeman with serious issues about trust (personal & professional) and his chauffeur, Bruno. The film becomes an intricate & deftly written ensemble piece as two apparently disparate, incompatible groups of characters, inhabiting very different social milieus (commerce v art, conventional v bohemian), come into contact, clash and eventually reach some kind of rapprochement.After a brief fling with Bruno, Manie & Franck become mutually attracted despite themselves, with Bruno more preoccupied with his girlfriend in the US. In a sense, you wonder if Franck's profession as a bodyguard is another comment on the story: he may offer physical protection but the film is about emotional vulnerability, how we are touched despite ourselves and dropping our emotional guards. And in the end, Franck doesn't manage to protect Castella on the one occasion he is needed.The film is about unlikely romances and friendships (Castella & the gay arty bohemians Antoine & Benoit, his wife Angelique & her long suffering sister-in-law who offers her comfort, even background characters like Valerie, Clara's friend, with a bar-owner). Initially, Castella is drawn both to Clara and her bohemian world with comical results, his ignorance sent up by the cruel mockery of the arty set, but they, too, in a way are guilty of making assumptions by failing to see Castella's hidden depth & open-mindedness.Clare maintains a wary distance of Castella after he makes a clumsy declaration of his feelings in English, but it is when the businessman resignedly accepts her apparent lack of interest, that Clara begins to realise her own feelings. I did feel that this could have been explored in more detail. For much of the film, she keeps him at arm's length and then towards the end desperately seeks his presence.I have to admit that I didn't found the film uproariously funny as others. There are amusing moments such as when Manie tells a non-plussed Bruno that they once slept together; the scene where famous tragic playwrights are described as comedians or my personal favourite, the scene in the nightclub where Castella, Franck & Bruno all sit glumly together clearly wishing they could be somewhere else.'The Taste of Others' deals with emotional themes with a light touch though there is a note of sadness at the end that falls short of tragedy. Franck has long regarded Bruno's attachment to his stuttering long-distance relationship as naïve but it is the bodyguard who ultimately cannot move on or take the leap of faith required when he goes back to Manie to seek a reconcilement. Bruno phlegmatically accepts, with a Gallic shrug of the shoulders, that such is life when his girlfriend ends their relationship.

I knew absolutely nothing about this film other than what the DVD cover said. In giant yellow letters were reviews saying "witty"and "laugh-provoking" and so I naturally thought the film would be a comedy. Well, to me it really wasn't. I did laugh once very briefly--and a small laugh at that. Now this ISN'T meant as negative criticism--the film's makers were not responsible for how it was mismarketed. The movie still worked for me as a romance but only once I let go of my expectations and forced myself to watch through the first 20 or so minutes (which were pretty slow), I found the movie interesting and different--something that occurs too seldom with films. I wouldn't strongly advise a person to seek out the movie, but it's a harmless diversion.The main theme of the movie is mismatched pairs. Mr. Castella is in an unhappy marriage and most of this seems to be because his wife hates people--making herself a lousy partner. The one laugh I had was when this terrible woman's dog bites a passerby. Instead of showing any sympathy, she blames the man! Then, you find out her dog bites people all the time but it's always the victim's fault! Mr. and Mrs. Castella go to a play and Mrs. Castella talks through much of the play and finds fault with everything. Mr. Castella usually hates the theater but is mesmerized by the performance of one of the actresses--the same lady who is also his English language tutor. Mr. Castella spends much of the movie trying to hang around this actress and her bohemian friends--even though he really has nothing in common with them and appears to have no chance with the lady.There are a couple parallel plots that also have to do with mismatched couples. One is Mrs. Castella who tries for once to reach out to another person--in this case, her estranged sister-in-law. Another involves a drug-selling lady who works in a bar and is pursued by a conservative man! All these relationships are difficult, if not impossible to believe. Some work out, some do not. Despite me NOT believing the old axiom that "opposites attract", the film is clever and well made--with very believable and low-key acting by people who act like real people. I respect the film a lot--though I didn't find myself thrilled enough to understand how it was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. But what do I know?Incidentally, Jean-Pierre Bacri not only played Mr. Castella but he also wrote the screenplay. I have seen him in several films and like his persona--an "everyman" who is pretty likable.

I bought this film on VHS years ago to help me with my French. I guess England has the theater and the French and Italians have the cinema. I love the story between the English teacher/actress and the rich businessman Mr. Castella who tries desperately to fit in to her world. How could she not fall in love with him? HE is more than willing and able to love her back. Anyway, there are other stories that go on here. I love French films or cinema because they focus a lot more on character developments, relationships, and beauty as well. The beauty of France cannot be overlooked. I still miss if after 10 years and long to return home again. This film looks at the loneliness of people even the married ones or involved ones. It always appears like everybody is in their own little world of loneliness. Well, the writing is good but then again I was reading subtitles and trying to remember my French lesson plans as well. If you pay attention, you notice the differences in the written language from the spoken but that's with ever subtitled film. If only French film directors can teach American film directors that you don't need violence, sex, or special effects to make a good movie. You just need a good story and flawed characters.

Why can't American directors make movies like this? It's quiet, calm, small, understated, beautifully paced (read: slow and leisurely) and thought-provoking. The premise of the movie is not whether opposites attract (which would be nothing new) but whether our preconceptions often keep us closed down to new people and new experiences. With some gentle nudges, the characters in this lovely movie take deep breaths, look again at people and situations, and see what had been missed before. And yes, it does make us think about how art enriches us and helps us abandon the old preconceptions. Jean-Pierre Bacri is, as usual, splendid, making himself mildly repulsive and appealing, almost simultaneously (though he ends up definitely on the appealing side of the line.) How does he do it? And it's a treat to know that the actress playing the younger woman, Manie, is both the film's director and screenwriter. If you want to know what I mean about pacing, just watch the main character, Clara, as she comes out of cafe after having been stood up for an English lesson. An American director would have cut the scene as she leaves the cafe and bustles across the street in the rain, annoyed and wound up tight as a drum. But in this movie, the camera follows Clara as she walks in the rain down a long street - the shot just lasts forever, and you can see all of Clara's irritation dissipating and turning into loneliness. It's a beautiful shot.