Wow! Such a good movie.

Why so much hype?

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I've seen this movie three times and I'm sure that in a year or two I will get the DVD out again. This story of two lovers, Antoine and Mathilde, has a magical quality, a charm, wit, and innocence that draw the viewer in even though objectively the plot line is completely unrealistic. It's probably the sexiest film I've ever seen, even though there is no nudity and there are no sex scenes. Leconte perfectly captures the emotional power women can have over men and the joy of submitting to it.(By the way I didn't notice until the second viewing of this film that there are several clues that Antoine' s father was having an affair with the voluptuous hairdresser who Antoine became imprinted on as a child. This is finally confirmed for me by the brisk comment that his father promptly died of a heart attack when told his son was marrying a hairdresser. See what you think. ) The film is very French, you can't predict how the plot will evolve and along the way there are little comments on relationships, parenthood and the problem of explaining our existence. For me the most wonderful thing of all is the repeated theme of the North African music which Antoine dances to in a bizarre attempt to connect with sensuality and mystery. The final scene must be one of the most poignant moments in film history.

French screenwriter and director Patrice Leconte's 10th feature film which he co-wrote with French author and screenwriter Claude Klotz, was shot on locations in France and is a French production which was produced by producer Thierry Ganay. It tells the story about Antoine from Luc-sur-Mer, who upon his first encounter with a hairdresser at the age of twelve has a transcendent experience that encourages a dream and a steadfast determination of one day marrying a hairdresser.This vivid, humorous, lyrical and introspective study character is a well-paced drama and an unconventional love-story with lovely moments of eye contact which almost exclusively forgoes in a hairdressing salon, and through flashbacks visualizes the memoirs of a middle-aged man driven by his oblivious love for hairdressers. Patrice Leconte's filming is genteel and emerges in the alluring slow motion scenes of Italian actress Anna Galiena as she gently moves within the hairdressing salon, appearing as a divine creature. Her otherworldly presence is significantly invigorated by the radiant light setting, the color harmonic production design and the mood-setting instrumental music from Michael Nyman. This imaginative, romantic and minimalistic tale is rendered by it's efficient non-linear narrative and the vibrant performances from a cast lead by the great French actor Jean Rochefort who collaborated with Patrice Leconte on six of his films

Beautiful cinematography does not a good film make. This film has wonderful cinematography and some really delightful scenes, but it is lacking in drama or any sort of real character archs. The relationship between Antoine and Mathilde is unreal and lacking substance. It's difficult to see what ties these two together at all, except for the way Antoine objectifies and idolizes Mathilde. The film has a fairy tale quality, especially with the way the film is lit; with Mathilde looking positively heavenly and angelic, but in a hyperreal way. It succeeds in that we truly feel the fascination Antoine feels and the adoration he feels for female hairdressers but without the film moving into any sort of deeper level, the story fails to move the viewer. It stays on a superficial level and, if anything, the character of Antoine seems somewhat despicable, the way he objectifies these hairdressers. I feel the film could've been much more powerful if the director decided to dig deep into his characters' obsessions instead of creating a shallow homage to objectifying hairdressers.But the cinematography was gorgeous, and the dance sequences were nice.

The French are the masters of melancholy. I don't think I've ever been more pleased by sadness than after watching this beautiful film. A little boy obsesses over his hairdresser as a child and then finally fulfills his fantasy nearly forty years later when he marries a stunningly gorgeous owner of a barber shop on a whim. The story is simple, and though it may leave some viewers wanting more in terms of character development, it will play well if you see it as a fable. The two are madly in love with each other and their whole life revolves around the barber shop and their customers. Quirky humor, insightful observances about everyday life and people's behavior, and superb photography (especially of the luminous actress playing the hairdresser) make this a highly enjoyable film to watch. This is a wonderful look at how lust can grow into love, and how love can turn tragic and then hopeful again. Bravo to director Leconte. C'est la vie!