This was only my third experience of French cinema (obvioulsy like everyone I've seen La Haine and Baise Moi).It was on late night TV and just flicked as it was starting and found myself into it. It's a story about Angelie, a 30 something who works in a Prais beauty parlour and her lovelife. SHe has an old flame who appears now and again and a younger man who pesters her constantly promising to give up his much younger fiancée for her.I found it slow at times but funny t others, all be it the comedy is French and so a bit surreal. The characters are poorly defined in some ways, especially the younger parlour worker, maybe the story about her and the older man could be explored further.Overall, worth watching and has encouraged me to investigate more French films

A parade of interesting characters walk through this beauty parlor usually convinced that all that matters is the external self. While the workers service their customer's outside's, the workers go about dealing with their inner feelings and emotions.Which is more important? When the camera is in the "institute", things are pink and alive, but superficial. When the camera is outside, thing get much more dreary, but more emotionally satisfying.May be both things count equally.

If this movie has been selected as the best film of the year by French Academy, I don't want to think about the other movies. We are in front of a silly movie, nothing in it must be considered. We can only watch it as amusement such as we hear raining. This is a movie of the pile, we can watch it, but if we don't watch nothing happens.

Nathalie Baye is on the screen in almost every scene, and it's never too much. She's outstanding. The supporting cast are also very good. The directing is mostly quite good too. But the real treat is in the story.The main character, Angèle, is a beautician who is afraid to fall in love, because she's been hurt too much in the past. A new man tells her he's in love -- the last thing she wants to hear from a man. She's 40, but the story would have worked for a person of any age. (I saw the movie at a Seattle International Film Festival screening. Director Tonie Marshall told us in the audience that she had Nathalie Baye in mind as the star, and wrote the character to fit her.) But I can't say much more about the main plot without spoilers.While the story is centered on Angèle, there are several other interesting characters, mainly her co-workers (particularly young, innocent Marie) and some interesting regular clients (particularly the comical Madame Buisse).While the story is mainly a romantic comedy, there is some drama. The story does a good job of keeping the comedy and serious drama from running into conflict with each other. And unusual for a comedy, the story doesn't stray from plausibility for the sake of humor, but the comedy is still strong.