Delicacy is a French comedy that revolves around a romance between a woman named Nathalie (Audrey Tautou) and a (somewhat) free spirit named Markus (Francois Damiens). It is a comedy in the slightest of terms. You hardly laugh at all, but you acknowledge that it is funny, and sit there enjoying yourself. The film is about so much more than laughs, though, as it gets deep into its characters' personal problems and gives us real world issues we are faced with everyday.
While Delicacy is delightful in its own right, the film is very flawed. It is not because it has a lot of flaws but rather because it has one flaw that almost ruins the film. The build up to the romance between Nathalie and Markus is completely unbelievable. What happens to get them to fall in love with each other would never happen in real life. The film does make up for this by giving us, as previously mentioned, the real world problems we conquer everyday. The problem is that these problems are presented by reflecting off such an unrealistic take on the world. Now, I'm going to quit my whining about that and move onto the good of the film.
Tautou and Damiens both give terrific performances. Nathalie and Markus have excellent chemistry, even after the unrealistic build up. Tautou is playing her character so that we feel for her, while Damiens is very funny and yes, sometimes even a little touching in his role.
There is a scene involving a fight between Markus and Nathalie's boss, Charles (Bruno Todeschini.) I won't say what happens..but it is a crucial scene in the film and builds great character development in Markus. The ending to the film, which I will also not ruin, is perfect as well. The film ends at a surprising time, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Delicacy is mushy in its storytelling, and both Tautou and Damiens have a bit of a wacky side to them. This is what makes the film work. If it weren't for the build up to the romance, I would highly recommend this film. As it is, Delicacy does get a moderate recommendation from me for all the good that came out of the film.
(3 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for some strong language)
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