Un Homme à La Hauteur (Up For Love) (DVD) – Movie Review
If you ask people what the most important thing in life is, many of them will probably answer ‘love’. Nonetheless, it’s not easy to find it, even though many of us are looking for it. And while we all love movies where the most unlikely couples end up together, in real life people are not as tolerant. We are all told that it’s only the inside that counts, but unfortunately, society often decides differently.
Diane (Virginie Efira) is a successful lawyer who runs her own firm together with Bruno (Cédric Kahn), her ex-husband. When she comes home after a long day, the phone rings. The guy at the other side of the line explains that he found her mobile phone earlier that day, and that he dialed ‘home’ to try and get a hold of her. Alexandre (Jean Dujardin), as he introduces himself, seems to be a talkative, funny, intriguing man, and he and Diane end up talking for quite some time on the phone. Diane agrees to meet for drinks, partly because she needs her mobile back, but also because Alexandre seems like such a charming man.
The next day, the two meet up, but when Diane sees Alexandre, she is stunned with amazement. He is a very good looking man, as she may have expected, but he’s also a dwarf. She is visibly shaken, but the two sit down for a drink and again, she feels some kind of connection. They start to go out more regularly and have a good time together. At the same time Bruno, her ex-husband since three years, still wants to win her over again, even though she has clearly stated many times before that there is no way that’s ever going to happen. Nonetheless, he is used to getting things his way, in love as well as professionally, thus it’s not easy for Diane to keep working with him.
Things are really going well between Diane and Alexandre, but when it comes down to it, she is afraid to properly introduce him to her family. What will they say? How will they react? Even though she really loves him, it’s difficult for Diane to actually show it in public, and deal with the stares and the opinions of others. Alexandre notices it too, and is quite disappointed, as he truly thought that Diane was different.
The beginning of the film immediately sets the tone for what’s to come the next hour and a half. Alexandre calls Diane up, and before you know it, they go from being complete strangers to knowing quite a bit about each other, without even having met. Things happen quite fast after that, but because the story is peppered with comical and unexpected scenes, it’s still really airy and fun to watch.
Virginie Efira puts down a very good acting performance, where she shows a confident woman, who is at the same time so fragile and unsure. Jean Dujardin adds the funny note with his witty remarks and his flamboyant persona. He also really plays with the fact that his character is so small, making for some funny shots such as when he dangles his legs when sitting in a chair or when the overenthusiastic dog of Alexandre’s son jumps on top of him. The side characters are all really different, but overall the whole cast fits the story and their characters pretty well.
There is only one extra feature on this DVD release, be it a rather lengthy one. In it, you’ll be able to see how the film came to be, namely the inspiration for the story, the search for the right cast and crew and, maybe the most interesting, the special effects. Jean Dujardin is in real life a man of average length, but in the film he plays a dwarf. To be able to pull that off, the cast and crew used all kinds of tricks, which are explained very carefully in this forty-five minute long documentary. We got very curious while watching the film as to how they all managed to do this, thus for us, it was a pleasant surprise to get such an elaborate answer to our question.
Conclusion
Un Homme à La Hauteur may sound like a romantic comedy where you go from a new relationship, to having doubts about this relationship, to realizing he is Mr. Right, as it usually goes with these kinds of films. Nonetheless, this film adds an extra touch because it also shows the struggles of people who are just that tiny bit different, and the perception of other people towards them. In the end, you can take from it what you like of course, but anyway, you’ll have had a good laugh and a fun story to watch.
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