Delicacy Review
By David Kempler
Not Gourmet Stuff
Audrey Tautou is back in another cutesy, romantic comedy. Yeah, I know romantic comedy is not a haven for masterpieces, but they are going to be here forever, so as long as they continue to exist, they might as well not be nauseating to view. "Delicacy" manages to escape without generating any gag reflexes, so that alone puts it ahead of ninety per-cent of American films of a similar ilk.
Brothers Stéphane and David Foenkinos have the reins and they lead Audrey and the rest of the cast to their marks and keep everything moving at a dependable pace. Unfortunately, I can't be much more complimentary than that. Yes, Audrey is adorable. That is a given. But "Delicacy" never ventures into any unchartered waters, preferring to be safe and cute.
Tautou is Nathalie, a workaholic, buried away from the pain of her husband's death three years earlier. She's got a pushy boss named Claude (Bruno Todeschini) who is interested in gaining entrance into her, but she inadvertently finds herself in a relationship with Markus, a co-worker who is supposed to be a bumbling loser-type, even if he never seems all that much of a nothing. Perhaps I have become used to American cinema, where the role would be written so over-the-top nerdy that I have come to expect that type of character.
I believe that this could be a relationship in real life, but my belief isn't enough to create real tension, and tension is one thing you will not find in "Delicacy". It seems a shame to waste Ms. Tautou here, because I remain convinced that she has some awfully good roles ahead of her. Nathalie is far from that, and "Delicacy" is far from a delicacy.
