I love a good Rom-Com and Chic is no exception. In a similar vein to The Devil Wears Prada it dissects the high fashion world, divas and those who work behind the scenes to keep the clothing industry running.
Alicia Ricosi, diva and designer of a high glamour fashion house is on the eve of the upcoming collections. Her creative urge has been dampened by a recent breakup. This causes immense problems for the fashion house. Alicia’s Director, Helen Birk must quickly find a “solution” for Alicia to recover her creative power. The solution comes in the unlikeliest of places: her disgruntled gardener, Julien. Alicia falls for this unlikely aesthetic and decides she wants him for her muse.
Through a series of increasingly desperate gestures, Hélène manages to get Julien to agree, and the result is a frothy romantic comedy. Julien finds himself a fish out of water in the over-the-top fashion world of Alicia, but simply tasked with being himself, he softens the seemingly hard shell of the uptight Hélène.
Apart from the classic French sense of humour, which is as funny visually as it is verbally, this film showcases some clever performances.
First of all there the French legend Fanny Ardant (known to non-French film goers as Mary of Guise in Elizabeth). She is every inch the diva, but also provides much of the film’s comedy and many of the wise words of wisdom which give hope to all divas out there.
Marina Hands is the perfect OCD, career driven woman. She is the pivot of the film and drives the pace perfectly. Unlike many heroines she does not miraculously change suddenly at the end of the film (like a Disney character). I was left feeling satisfied that she had gone through a real life journey and had made carefully considered choices.
Eric Elmosnino is Helen’s gardener. His character could have easily become the comic relief however he manages to combine comedy with practicality. His facial expressions often say more than his dialogue.
All in all, this is a highly entertaining film, well-acted and with a few life lessons thrown in lift it from the ordinary.
Reviewed by Your Name
Twitter: @kinesguy
Rating out of 10: 9
Chic will screen on 5, 18 & 24 April 2016 for Alliance Française French Film Festival, which runs 31 March – 24 April 2016 exclusively at the Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas.
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