Tasty

reviewed Sat, 07 Jul 2001

My father for some reason felt the need to emphasize to us that The Taste of Others (Le Goût des Autres) is not porn -- evidently the title suggests that to some people (he claims to have read a review that made this point).  I would have thought instead it was an alternate title for Ravenous (the movie loosely based on the Donner party's unfortunate claim to fame, for those of you not up on your cannibal cinema).  But the "taste" of the title refers to aesthetic appreciation, not gustatory sensation.  Those of you who have seen my apartment may doubt my fitness to review this movie; for those of you who haven't, let's just say that my friends often shop for me in gas stations, and that a velvet Elvis would actually class the place up.  So there's a legitimate argument that I might not really be in a position to pass judgment on the taste of others.  On the other hand, at least I know which of my items represent bad taste and which represent good... well, passable taste.

The Taste of Others is a clever (multi)character study, revolving loosely around questions of taste.  Wealthy but uncultured Jean-Jacques Castella (Jean-Pierre Bacri, who also co-wrote the script) is introduced to high culture through his infatuation with an actress (Anne Alvaro), who also happens to be his English teacher; he begins watching plays and going to art galleries to impress her, but he discovers that he truly likes what he finds in these arts.  This does not go over well with his shrill wife Angelique (Christiane Millet), whose taste runs more to stifling floral decor.  Meanwhile, Castella's bodyguard (Gérard Lanvin) is dating a much younger bartender (Agnès Jaoui, who directed and co-wrote the movie) and debating with his colleague Bruno (Alain Chabat) what sex means to men vs. women.

Roger Ebert puts it elegantly in his review of the movie, saying, "taste involves not only judging superficial things, but being able to see beneath them."  Not much actually happens in the film, but currents swirl below the surface.  The movie is excellently written, and the characters are realistically flawed.  It's witty and urbane, and if you choose to see it, you'll be demonstrating excellent taste.  (Of course, the movie makes the point that your taste shouldn't depend on other people's -- but that doesn't mean other people can't judge your taste... as I believe I make abundantly clear on a regular basis.)

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