Its strongest asset is the stunningly poetic cinematography by Thierry Arbogast.
The film is shot in black and white, and such iconic landmarks as Notre Dame, Montmartre and the Eiffel Tower are dazzling to behold. The story, in stark contrast, is colorless and derivative.
It centers on a loser who performs an unselfish act that changes his life.
The film stars the expressive actor Jamel Debbouze, who gave a wonderfully powerful performance in the Algerian World War II film Indig nes. Unfortunately, he and co-star Rie Rasmussen lack the essential chemistry to make this offbeat love story work.
Debbouze plays Andr , a 28-year-old two-bit con artist and inveterate liar. If he doesn't pay the 40,000 euros he owes to an unsavory character, he will be killed the next day. Despondent, he stands atop a bridge and prepares to plunge into the Seine.
Before he gets the chance to take his life, he sees Angela (Rasmussen), a beautiful blonde, jump and he instinctively rescues her.
At first he's angry that she thwarted his suicide plans. He tells her he feels "stupid, ugly and useless" and since she's a glamorous supermodel type, what could she possibly have to make her miserable?
She tells him "It's the inside that counts." Insipid dialogue like this keeps us from falling under the story's spell.
Andr tries to convince her she has something to live for: "I screwed up my life, so knowing I saved somebody could help me.
" When he suggests she take up a cause, she chooses him. Could Besson have devised a more potent male fantasy? A leggy blonde in a skin-tight minidress chooses to devote herself to an essentially decent but down-and-out guy?
In order to erase his debts, she works her way through dozens of men. Some funny dialogue emerges when she reveals her identity and tells him she is his mirror. "I'm a 6-foot-tall blond slut?
" the diminutive Andr asks.
Debbouze brings poignancy to what could have been a cloying role. Rasmussen has some comic moments, but her part is mostly informed by her towering physical presence and far too many tears.
Angel-A has whiffs of It's a Wonderful Life and Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire. The overwrought ending is pretty sentimental stuff.
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