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 The
Chateau
Starring: Paul Rudd, Romany Marco, Sylvie Testud, Didier
Flamand, and Donal Logue.
Directed by: Jesse Peretz
Rated: PG-13
The
Chateau is hysterical. Starring uber cuties Paul Rudd and Romany
Malco director Jesse Peretz has taken a small step to breaking
down the barriers viewers have against DV feature productions.
The Chateau is still juggling the devils of DV (grainy compositions,
lighting nightmares, and that dreaded home-style family video
look) but still delightfully shows how talent and the performance
can triumph over blooming technology. The three stars are for
the cast's impeccable performances which we would not have been
privy to were it not for DV's affordabilty; aka "the trade
off."
The
Chateau is a simple story about two American brothers that have
inherited a fancy ultra swanky chateau in France. They travel
over to the place hoping they can sell it and reap the financial
rewards.
Graham
Granville (Paul Rudd) is a neurotic open kind of guy who wears
his heart on his sleeve and is a tad…er….quirky. His
adopted brother Allen Granville (Romany - scene stealer - Malco)
is more hip and suave with a can do attitude….he's kind of
blunt. The combination of the yin and yang personalities is where
much of the dilemma and humor lies.
When
they arrive at he chateau the servants of the estate are none
too pleased. So when the two "loud" Americans advise
they are selling the chateau all mayhem breaks loose.
The
Chateau houses some very shady characters…. the butler, Jean
(Didier Flamand), is not all he seems to be. Then butlers never
are…the
shy chamber maid, Isabelle (Sylvie Testud) is fast becoming the
object of both brothers' affections while the creepy cook Sabine
(Maria Verdi) and the grounds keeper Pierre (Philippe Nahon) pretend
they do not understand a syllable of English. Pierre in total
hatred for the new "owners" goes so far as to pull a
Norman Bates routine when their perspective château buyers
appear starry -eyed checkbook in hand.
It
is obvious early on the two brothers will not be taking over the
chateau as simply as planned.
Paul
Rudd is amazing in this. His Graham fellow a well-rounded comical
character that pops off the screen. Which is pretty amazing since
he was given just an outline of what he was to create in Graham.
Paul's an underrated actor that hopefully, with this talent showcase,
will raise the eyebrow of a few Hollywood types that can keep
him working. He certainly raised my eyebrow - if you get my blatant
sexual innuendo! Paul's like an apple pie cooling in the sill…sweet
and delectable piping hot and ready to covered in vanilla ice
cream and devoured! Yum-o-rama!
Speaking
of yum-o-rama…. there's a new studmuffin to be on the look
out for. Romany Malco. Romany was dynamic in his scenes. Besides
being super swell on the retina, this guy can act! He was witty,
exact and comfortable throughout the film. Romany is a cholate
eclair of man yum. Keep your eye out for him!
The
French cast Peretz wrangled pretty much just reacted to the "loud"
Americans. It was campy predictable and still roaring funny!
The
Chateau is shot on DV but handled like film. The scenes are wonderfully
detailed and the details plenty. A lot of trust was given to the
actors. Peretz gave them his outline of a script (a storyline)
packed them up, ran over to the south of France small crew and
oodles of tape in tow, and shot. You could say he pulled a Christopher
Guest since the delightful cast improv'd ninety percent of the
dialog. One of the funniest scenes, in a big ol' chateau filled
with funny scenes, is in the hands of actor Donal Logue who plays
a Hollywood money guy who's flown into to check out the Chateau
to purchase as a swanky new stomping ground for the stars like
Stephen Dorff to jet in to. He almost makes "classless manpig"
a loving description….
DV
is nowhere is clear and beautiful as film and the quality differences
are immediately apparent. However if the acting is this superb
one almost forgets the grainy distracting parts. The Chateau is
plain old funny. Forgive the medium's almost indecipherable night
scenes, and the Monet like shots of the countryside and get into
the performances…. then you will love this. Enjoy!
Snack
recommendation: Warm croissants, chilled pate, relaxed brie
and expensive wine.
The
official site is very FUN!
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