Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Hulkeasexo it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Lindsay Lulu This has been my 'favourite movie of all time' since it came out and I've watched it over and over.Emelie is strong and messed up - just like every woman I know. Perhaps some of the negative reviews come from the fact that she doesn't get her kit off or need rescuing. She does what she does because she thinks it's the best thing to do.If you've ever been in love and done some really stupid things that make sense at the time but boggle your mind later, you can relate to this movie.Simply beautiful.

dirtphelia Either I'm getting smarter or movies are getting dumber. I love Audrey Tatou and was really looking forward to watching another of her movies but this one was just not really...there. I couldn't even finish watching it.I thought it was original and interesting to have Jean be a burnout doing handy work but the res to the movie, well, I just couldn't really believe it. Emilie's mother follows Jean, rather closely, all the way from her house to the salon and the guy doesn't turn around even once. Her hair is disheveled, she's in a nighty and she's wearing no shoes, and yet nobody stares, not even a single glance. That simply does not happen in France. A few minutes after she walks out of the salon she goes back in and all the customers who were in the middle of getting their hair cut are suddenly gone. This sort of thing happened too often so I just lost interest.

DICK STEEL Director Pierre Salvadori reunites with actress Audrey Tautou from their earlier collaboration Priceless, but don't get your hopes up too high that Beautiful Lies would be a solid enough follow up especially if you enjoyed their earlier film on how some would fake a relationship or trade love for money. Salvadori continues with the offbeat romantic comedy premise involving make believe with this film, but alas it came through as a rather predictable affair.It's hard to sustain a relationship based on a lie, and things get a lot complicated here when lies become the foundations on which romantic relationships, favours and that between parent and child get all built upon, where an innocently anonymous letter from a hair salon handyman Jean (Sami Bouajila) to his boss Emelie (Audrey Tautou) the salon co-owner, gets tossed aside by the latter since she obviously paid no heed to it, only for that attention to be retracted when she realized that her mom Maddy (Nathalie Baye) is due for a romantic lift from her prolonged sustained depression since her husband Marc (Paul Morgan) left her for someone younger and nubile to be his artistic muse.Thus begins a series of contrived misunderstandings and lies built upon lies with the constant letter writings from Emelie posing as an anonymous admirer, only for her ruse to be unintentionally skewed way off the mark when Maddy thinks it is indeed Jean who has hidden feelings for her, no thanks to an errant Jean had to run which took him to dropping off the letter. Naturally this follows plenty of hidden meanings and Emelie trying to come between the two for fear of an expose, guiding this film to some laughable light hearted moments.But it turned into a chore with Emelie having to beg a reluctant Jean to continue a charade to entertain her mother for fear of her mental and emotional state, with Emelie none the wiser that Jean was actually the originator of the letter to her declaring his love from afar. Oh the pain involved to help a loved one in her time of need, yet having to compromise one's principles to act out a lie, and worse, to lead a senior citizen on in some hope of a second wind of romance. It may sound like a fun premise, but trust me, it certainly was a chore to the character of Jean, and somehow this translated to the whole narrative giving you that sinking feeling of being unable to bail out from something forced upon, and unpleasant.Beautiful Lies got condemned in a certain way with a whole host of unlikeable ones. Emelie begins with a good intent, but in efforts to save her own skin from embarrassment and to keep her madcap idea under reins, she turns into some crazy control freak who frequently lies, manipulating Jean and of course causing undue strain with her staff at work. Manipulative and scheming, Audrey Tautou does pull this one off to a certain degree, until it became repetitive no thanks to Emelie's constant exasperation. Jean also went into an about turn with his descend into probably one of the biggest cinematic jerks as well, one without courage to walk out of a morally compromising position, and assisting an ugly (on the inside) woman with her grand scheme. Only perhaps Nathalie Baye's portrayal as the emotionally helpless mom brought about some light to the film, if not for the last few scenes of the film to really show her off as an opportunist with no qualms to turn tables.Without characters you genuinely feel for and a narrative that was in a hurry to conclude with a convenient ending sticking out like a sore thumb, one too perfect in many ways to sweep all development under the carpet, Beautiful Lies is extremely far from beautiful, and you would probably be better off watching any of Tautou's earlier works. Certainly not one of her best roles to date, stuck in a story based on a joke that had gone too far it isn't interesting.

fotobirajesh Emilie runs a beauty salon. Her father, is in love with a 20 year old, is seeking divroce and her mother, Maddy, is depressed. Jean, who works in her salon, sends Emilie an anonymous love letter. Emilie is least interested, but then decides to send this letter to her mother to lift her spirits. Sure, it did, but then she had to make up two more letters on her own. Maddy mistakes Jean as her writer. Emilie is in serious trouble. This is a brilliant romantic comedy. Mistaken identities, misunderstandings, untold love, search for love, all its there, but there is a touch of class all over too. The characters are brilliant. Emilie really wants to help her mother come out of the depression so she doesn't think twice before sending her a love letter. Only later does she realise, how difficult it is to create one by herself, which she cannot without the help of being drunk. At the same time, Emilie is somebody who walked out of a relationship when she realised her partner was more educated than her and is a man of letters. A simple reason, why the beautiful love letter, she received, didn't touch her at all. When she finds out that Jean is an intelligent chap, her irritation with him is wonderful. In fact the series of firing and reappointment of Jean is really funny. Maddy is depressed because of her husband, but she is a literature person so is moved by the adorable love letter. The way the love letter lift her spirits is really good. But she is soon depressed as the passion is absent in the second letter. Her search for the writer and her following up for Jean, and her final realisation of the truth it is all quite wonderful. Jean is a man of letters, knowing so many languages, who took up a maintenance job in the salon only to be near Emilie. But he is kind and sensuous too. So his frustration and kind of being out of mind, after the forced kiss with Maddie was really excellent. There are also couple of other small characters, like the partner of Emilie etc, who all does their part in the story.Except for the final moments, when Maddy realises the truth or Emilie understands Jean, the movie moves on with brilliant moments of subtle fun. How can the French be so good. Its unbelievable, how some scenes, dialogues and characters are created. It is the reactions and expressions of the characters, of course with the situations, which makes the incredibly funny moments and it is really brilliant. Almost all the scenes, involving Emilie, Jean and Maddy for the three fourths of the movie offer excellent laughs. At the same time, we are also worried about their future and are touched by the three, for how things turn up for them towards the end. A small lovely turn brings the movie to a nice end.Adurey Tautou is brilliant and brilliant. What an actress. She is living Emilie in the screen, is quite easy to say. But there were really tough scenes here where she had to give those spontaneous reactions and she excelled in each of them. A terrific performance. Hopefully, like in the case of many other movies, within a few years, this movie would be remade in Hollywood. I can see Julia Roberts playing Emilie and the movie becoming an international hit. Fans of Hollywood will again rave about the greatness of Hollywood (like it happened with many other remakes) and these brilliant artistes behind the original would be forgotten.