A downtrodden office worker scopes out the most formidably gorgeous prostitute (Monica Bellucci, no less), tells her he's won the lottery and invites her home to spend his money. French sex comedy at its most outrageous.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2006
How Much Do You Love Me? 2005
Combien tu m'aimes?
‘How much?’ is the $64m question in this gleefully un-pc sex comedy, a welcome return to form for writer/director Bertrand Blier, veteran re-inventor of the genre. A balding, downtrodden office worker steps up to the fanciest brothel in town, scopes out the most formidably gorgeous prostitute (Monica Bellucci, no less), tells her he’s won the lottery and invites her home to spend his money. She accepts. The ensuing negotiations of cat and mouse are played out with verve and wit by both, and by a supporting cast of vicariously engaged friends and neighbours, including Blier regular Gérard Depardieu as Bellucci’s exhausted mobster boyfriend. Longtime Festival goers will need no further inducement to sample the enduring comic audacity of the man who made Get Out Your Handkerchiefs and Tenue de soirée.
“Blier’s take on beauty vs shleppiness, mercenary seduction vs true romance, and cash as a motivating factor in sexual desire is thoroughly enjoyable... For those who buy into Blier’s style, touching – and funny – human truths come shining through.” — Lisa Nesselson, Variety