A talented woman struggles to get out from under the shadow of her father in this comedy. Lolita (Marilou Berry) is the 20-year-old daughter of Étienne Cassard (Jean-Pierre Bacri), a wealthy and well-known editor and writer, and most of the people she meets seem to be more interested in her dad than in her; her zaftig figure doesn't help her self-esteem much, either. Lolita is a gifted singer and has been studying with a voice coach, Sylvia (Agnès Jaoui); however, as it turns out, Sylvia has a husband, Pierre (Laurent Grévill), who is a novelist and hopes that Cassard might be willing to help him get his new book into print and onto bookstore shelves. The great writer seems to take a cavalier attitude toward nearly everyone around him, though, including his wife, Karine (Virginie Desarnauts). Lolita strikes up a friendship with a young man named Sebastien (Keine Bouhiza) which seems to be leading to romance, but when Lolita learns that Sebastien wants to become a writer, she finds herself wondering if he really wants her, or just an introduction to her dad. Jaoui, who plays Sylvia, also directed Comme une Image (aka Look at Me) and co-wrote the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Look at Me combines acerbic comedy and the pathos of just-post-adolescence with reasonable sharpness, wit, and sensitivity, though its large cast and subplots sometimes draw attention away from its central characters and conflicts. Flawed heroine Lolita Berry pulls off the difficult feat of portraying with dignity a 20-year-old who doesn't conform to social norms of attractiveness, and whose problems with her weight and family disturb but do not wholly preoccupy her. Father Jean-Pierre Bacri effectively projects a boorish loutishness that's evident to everyone but himself, even if it verges on the caricature of a self-involved artist at times. While a side story of the rise of the burgeoning success of friend of Bacri's (Laurent Grévill) occasionally distracts from the relationship between Berry and Bacri that supplies the movie's most compelling tension, it's a good excuse for getting in some amusing digs at media hype, the publishing industry, and its narcissistic celebrities. It's easy to take sides with the troubled daughter, but, to director Agnes Jaoui's credit, it's made clear that Berry has selfish blinders that mirror those of her father's as she gets caught up in her own creative pursuits. The clumsy blooming romance between her and idealistic student Keine Bouhiza is endearing but also, at times, unconvincing: not because a relationship between a plump girl and a more conventionally handsome youth is an issue, but because it's uncertain why such a bright young man would put up with her habitual callousness toward his feelings. Their rocky relationship is a little too hastily patched up near the end as well, but overall Look at Me strikes a worthwhile balance well-paced light farce and observations on the emotional casualties artistic ambitions impose on family and friends. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Movie Guide
Keine Bouhiza - Sébastien; Gregoire Oestermann - Vincent; Serge Riaboukine - Félix; Michèle Moretti - Edith; Yves Verhoeven - Onlooker 1; Samir Guesmi - Onlooker 2; Olivier Doran - Francois Galland; Didier Brice - New Teacher's Assistant; Dimitri Rataud - Doctor; Bernard Blancan - Waiter in the Village Cafe; Julien Baumgartner - Mathieu; Jean-Pierre Lazzerini - Taxi Driver; Olivier Claverie - Publisher; Guillaume Huet - Nicolas; Jacques Boko - Bouncer; Bob Zaremba - Guy Who Is Seen Everywhere; Roberta Kiehl - Conservatoire Pianist; Joan-Baptiste Blanc - Conservatoire Singer; Emma Beziaud - Louna; Zelie Berger - Mathieu's Friend in the Cafe; Camille Dereux - Pretty Singer; Henri Boyer - Pianist at Pierre and Sylvia's; Olivia Lancelot - Painter; Elodie Clairin - Waitress in Etienne's Restaurant; Sebastien Andrieu - Young Man Who Looks at Sylvia; Marie Sarrasin - Young Girl Who Mathieu Kisses; Antonia Cornil-Navarro - Guardian; Philippe Tran - Waiter in Edith/Sylvia's Restaurant; Erick Desmarestz - New Teacher; Catherine Morin - Woman in the Ad; Alain Debruyne - Usher
Credit
Brigitte Moidon - Casting, Jackie Budin - Costume Designer, Agathe Sallaberry - Continuity, Antoine Garceau - First Assistant Director, Agnès Jaoui - Director, François Gedigier - Editor, Francois Migier - Editor, Eric Benazet - Hair Styles, Patrick Girault - Hair Styles, Philippe Rombi - Composer (Music Score), Jackie Raynal - Makeup, Catherine Virignaud - Makeup, Olivier Jacquet - Production Designer, Stephane Fontaine - Cinematographer, Daniel Chevalier - Production Manager, Sebastien Banos - Production Manager, Eleonore Chaspoul - Production Manager, Pascal Rodriguez - Production Manager, Christian Berard - Producer, Jean-Philippe Andraca - Producer, Gerard Lamps - Sound/Sound Designer, Jean-Pierre Duret - Sound/Sound Designer, Nadine Muse - Sound Editor, Jean-Pierre Bacri - Screenwriter, Agnès Jaoui - Screenwriter, Jean-Philippe Varin - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Stephane Bouillon - Grip, Jean-Bernard Josko - Grip, Franck Loizeau - Grip, Yvan Moreno - Properties, Raphaelle Piani - Second Assistant Director, Jean-Paul Dumas-Grillet - Still Photographer, Alice Dupays - Costume/Wardrobe, Rym Debbarh-Mounir - Assistant Sound Editor, Dominique Eyraud - Assistant Sound Editor, Fanny Touya - Casting Assistant, Xavier Cholet - Electrician, Luc Reyrolle - Electrician, Joel Spinou - Electrician, Marie-France Michel - Extra Casting, Beatrice Herminie - First Assistant Editor, Judith Havas - Personal Assistant, Marie-Christine Coudanne - Set Dresser, Jimena Esteve - Set Dresser, Sylvie Francois - Production Secretary
The protagonist, Lolita Cassard, lacks confidence because she doesn't look like the women that fill the pages of fashion magazines. Her father, Étienne Cassard, is a respected novelist, but rarely considers the feelings of others, only thinking of himself and worrying about aging. Pierre Millet, a younger writer, doubts he will ever be successful. Meanwhile, Sylvia Millet, a singing teacher, believes in her husband's talent, but doubts her own and that of her student, Lolita. However, when Sylvia discovers that Lolita is the daughter of Étienne, an author that she admires, this raises the possibility of introducing her husband to Étienne.
