Laurent Spielvogel Movies

A waiter discovers that good taste can be dangerous in this offbeat psychological drama from France. Nicolas (Jean-Pierre Lorit) is a young man living in bohemian poverty in Lyon, sharing a flat with his girlfriend Beatrice (Florence Thomassin) and three of their friends. Nicolas works part-time as a server, and one night a customer asks him to taste his hors d'oeuvres and see if he can identity the ingredients. Nicolas' palate meets the challenge, and the customer introduces himself as Frederic Delamont (Bernard Giraudeau), a wealthy business tycoon. Frederic hires Nicolas as his official food taster at a handsome salary. Frederic also discovers that Nicolas wears the same size shoes and suits, and he begins costuming Nicolas in his cast-offs. While Beatrice isn't comfortable with their newly luxurious lifestyle, Nicolas takes to it readily, until he becomes seriously ill after eating chemically-tainted seafood. It seems that Frederic loathes seafood, and wanted to condition Nicolas to hate it too -- this was to be the first step toward turning Nicolas into someone who could duplicate Frederic's likes and dislikes on all levels. Une Affaire De Gout was based on a novel by Philippe Balland. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

An American woman discovers that Paris truly is the city of love -- though not in the manner she expected -- in this romantic comedy. Kate (Meg Ryan) is desperately afraid of flying, so when her fiancée Charlie (Timothy Hutton) flies to Paris on business, she must stay behind. Kate has been having second thoughts about her impending marriage, but that changes when Charlie calls her to say that the engagement is off -- he's met a beautiful French woman named Juliette (Susan Anbeh), and he's fallen in love. Determined to win Charlie back, Kate confronts her fears and hops on board the next flight to Paris, where she finds herself seated next to Luc Teyssier (Kevin Kline), a French thief who stashes some valuable jewelry in her baggage hoping to avoid capture. While Luc simply wants to get his jewels back, he pretends to be willing to help Kate find Charlie and win him back in order to keep her luggage out of harm's way, but to his surprise (as well as Kate's), the two become infatuated as they make their way through the City of Lights. Leading lady Meg Ryan also served as co-producer for this film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Four clever girls who tire of their mundane lives turn to a life of crime in this light-hearted French comedy. Cecile, an electronics teacher, has a terribly overdrawn checking account. Bijou, after giving birth to her third child is abruptly abandoned by her abusive spouse. Lola has recently served a prison term. Now she's a bus driver, but she can't afford rent and is homeless. Muriel, a ditzy waitress is indebted to her restaurant manger. She is trying to have a baby with her husband who is in a wheelchair. Lola and Bijou begin their exploits after happening into a store during a robbery. When the clerk suddenly leaves to pursue the crooks, the duo help themselves to the cash-filled till. Next, they raid a sex shop, and so it begins. The women keep their criminal lives a secret. During the day, they are the wives, mothers, and upstanding citizens they always were. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Roger (Fabrice Josso) is a 16-year-old who seeks to lose his virginity in this softcore erotic drama. His initial efforts are unsuccessful, but World War I breaks out and men are seen marching off to battle. Roger goes overboard when he is presented with several amorous opportunities. He soon impregnates the maid, his aunt, and his sister in quick succession. Roger desperately tries to marry off the women to other men to avoid a lurid scandal. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this conventional, broadly comic farce of greed and royal matrimony, nearly bankrupt businessman Victor Harris (Roger Hanin) is marrying Maria-Helena (Pauline Lafont), a princess who comes with a dowry that is made up of one half of her island kingdom. Her father, the cowardly King Arnold III (Jean Rochefort) is counting on the money this marriage will bring him. The country is now almost bankrupt because of the king's gambling debts. As Harris and the king look forward to their illusory profits from the royal merger, other characters add some liveliness to the otherwise predictable story. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi