Le Coût de la vie /
The Cost of Living (R)

by Philippe Le Guay

Set in the provincial city of Lyons, The Cost of Living ponders the bourgeois but universally interesting subject of money. Why do some of us spend wildly, whilst others hold on to it as if it's a vital part of their being?

The action centres on a collection of characters at a restaurant. Coway (Vincent Lindon) is the endearing restaurateur whose lavishness eventually throws his happy-go-lucky life off balance. Brett (Fabrice Luchini) is a committed miser, abandoning relationships when they get too expensive. Helena (Geraldine Pailhas) is the chic prostitute who makes it her mission to reform him. There's also a pair of young lovers who work as waiters, and a wealthy businessman, Nicolas de Blamont (Claude Rich) who slowly discovers delights other than money.

Phillipe Le Guay's previous film was the dark psychological drama Night Shift, but the shift to more light-hearted subject matter is adroitly handled. The scenario is ripe with a range of surprisingly comic possibilities - and the link between the characters' attitudes to money, and their happiness is never labored. The surely timed and well-observed performances of the ensemble cast ensure the humour remains fresh and relevant.

The Cost of Living is, ultimately, a lively and perceptive comedy, packed full of bittersweet truths and laughter.

France - 2003 -. Comedy - 108 mn.- French with English subtitles
Director: Philippe Le Guay
Script: Philippe Le Guay, Jean-François Goyet
With: Vincent Lindon, Fabrice Luchini, Géraldine Pailhas, Lorant Deutsch, Isild Le Besco, Claude Rich, Nils Hugon, Camille Japy