30 Second Bottom Line: A romantic comedy that proves that opposites attract…it just takes a certain magnetism.

Story Line: Castella (Jean-Pierre Bacri) is a successful businessman in a small town in France. He’s on the verge of closing a big deal with an Iranian company, and has hired a temporary bodyguard, Moreno (Gerard Lanvin), to augment the services of his driver, Deschamps (Alain Chabat). This is probably an inflated gesture, as the bodyguard has very little to do.

Castella is well meaning but uncouth; dishing toilet jokes at the dinner table. Angelique (Christiane Millet), his wife, is mean spirited, with a yapping, little dog who bites. "He always has a good reason," according to Angelique. She is an interior decorator, and in her mind, an arbiter of good taste. One look at their pink and pastel home and you know Angelique has a chintz fetish.

A local production of Racine’s Berenice, in which their daughter has a role, provides a night out for Angelique and a reluctant Castella. He is enchanted with the lead actress, Clara (Anne Alvaro); whom he recognizes as the English tutor he had blown off earlier, because she couldn’t guarantee him a "fun" way to learn the language. Here, in this setting, surrounded by these people, Castella sees Clara in a different light and he wants to know her. He has a short attention span for detail, but realizes there is a world he wants to explore beyond the boundaries of his existence.

Castella hires Clara to tutor him and soon they are having lessons at an English tearoom.

After seeing the play several times, Castella also works his way into the circle of artistic friends who dine together after the performance. He absorbs the conversations, but when he does participate, his comments are inappropriate and at one point offensive and homophobic. It’s clear there are at least two gay men in the gathering.

The waitress, Manie (Agnes Jaoui), a friend of Clara’s, is a free spirited, independent woman, who supplements her income by selling hashish, to Clara and a steady stream of other (usually male) clients. Manie has been burned by men in the past, so she is somewhat guarded in her relationship with Moreno. Passionate, they’ve known lovers like themselves before; yet they stand a chance to make it work.

Deschamps (Alain Chabat) is on a self-improvement mission with music lessons and reading. An observer of the human condition, from the driver’s seat, he moves people from one milieu to another.

And that’s what these characters are attempting to do, navigate that terrain between the environments of social class and status. Urban and suburban, artistic and industrial, sophisticated and pedestrian, tasteful and tasteless, often these are judgments. Where are crossovers allowed and when do the lines blur?

Tell Me More About It: This is a tale of acknowledging someone else’s lifetime of experience. Consider their taste, though different from your own; accept it or reject it, but allow for it. You may find something there that speaks to a part of you. Castella’s modus operandi; look for a quick way to earn acceptance, usually with money. That may be his initial reason for buying a particular painting from one of Clara’s friends, but something makes him select it from the others available. He likes it. At home Angelique is horrified by it and is quick to tell him it does not fit in. It’s not her taste…and that’s all that matters.

Castella loves Clara and writes her a poem, in English, to declare that. This frightens Clara, perhaps because of her uncertainty about her place in society, as she becomes an older actress. The play will close soon and she has few prospects to consider. Maybe Clara questions her attraction to Castella.

Manie and Moreno are locked in a battle of wills as Moreno’s job as a bodyguard comes to an end with the signing of the Iranian deal. He wants Manie to give up dealing drugs and be with him as he moves on to his next assignment. These are two fiercely independent people, questioning their ability to trust.

Wishing to move across chasms, which divide us as people can be daunting. A bit of push and pull is needed to bridge those gaps. Watching these characters find their way and come to appreciate each other is charming and hopeful.

There is a wonderful naturalness to The Taste of Others, in the interaction of the characters, in the settings and the overall feel of the film. It has won tremendous recognition at film festivals around the world, including Grand Prize Winner at Montreal.

Director, Agnes Jaoui, who appears as Manie, co-wrote the screenplay with Jean-Pierre Bacri (Castella), who is her husband. Jaoui, in an interview, says that the character of Castella "…introduces an element…of life, risk and surprise." All good things, I say.