BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: This audacious, buoyantly choreographed ballet of fluctuating allegiances is played to perfection. Extending the erotic thesis from multi-award winning Too Beautiful for You and My Man, controversial French writer and director, Bertrand Blier brings us the highly provactive, How Much Do You Love Me? An intensely seductive story about beauty, sex and love. Balding office worker Francois (Bernard Capman) enters a Parisian Brothel to meet the woman who has become his obsession, the pragmatic, titillating hooker Daniela (Monica Bellucci), whose favours can be had for 150 euros an hour. But Francois has just won the national lottery and offers Daniel 100,000 Euros a month to live with him until the money runs out. Daniela soon transforms herself in to the domestic housewife of every man’s dreams, it almost seems as if nothing could go wrong. At least until Daniela’s gangster boyfriend Charlie (Gerard Depardieu) turns up...

FILM REVIEW: Being a French film, “How Much Do You Love Me?” can probably get away with its seemingly contradictory styles and execution. However, the combination of quirky delivery, comedy, drama and ridiculous characterisation do not really work for most of the film, despite individual examples that are entertaining. This film works in moments, but not as a whole.

Francois (Bernard Capman) is an average office worker who walks in to an upmarket brothel to pick up the beautiful hooker Daniela (Monica Bellucci). He tells her he just won the lottery and is prepared to pay her 100,000 Euros a month to live with him until his money runs out. She agrees, but lays down some ground rules to ensure the arrangement will run smoothly. However, it does not all go according to plan, particularly when gangster Charlie (Gerard Depardieu) shows up, demanding Daniela back.

This film's best moments are its individual moments of comedy. A catty argument between Daniela and a younger hooker is particularly amusing midway through the film as both women argue over their respective virtues with Francois. Another moment is when Daniela is discovered to be faking with Francois, with his next door neighbour asking Francois to check whether or not her eyes roll in the back of her head. The funniest moment of all occurs when Francois reveals he did not win the lottery at all, much to the dismay of Daniela, causing her to run back to Charlie.

The film goes off the rails because it does not have a consistent tone or direction. Moments of comedy, drama, quirkiness, serious thematic exploration are all thrown in to the mix but are never fused together well. The comedy in the end makes the serious messages the film is imparting about the relationships between the characters seem all the more ridiculous. In the end, you are not sure whether to laugh or to take it all seriously. But then again, it's French right? Anything goes!

“How Much Do You Love Me?” is a film that works in parts but does not work as a whole. It is an interesting exercise in some parts but far from satisfying.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The video and audio transfer of this DVD is very commendable. The picture is clean, colourful and faithfully translated; the ballet/opera music in the soundtrack thunders through the surround system very clearly, making for an immersive experience. Overall, a very decent transfer.

EXTRAS REVIEW: There are only minimal extra features on this DVD, largely limited to text and stills including cast and crew filmographies, a photo gallery, the original theatrical trailer and chapter selection. This package is hardly worth rating, but there are extras present nonetheless.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it, only if there's nothing else.