That was an excellent one.

Thanks for the memories!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I enjoyed this movie due to the historical treatment of how politics played out during the time of the European kingdoms. Money is always the problem and the money is always from the poor for the selfishness of the rich---some things never change. Vatel like so many perfectionists of their crafts comes to the realization that no one cares--not even his employer! Good film with underlying truths that quite possibly could be reviewed in today's world. If you have visited castles in Europe you will enjoy getting a feel about how the sub-basements were used--no more complaints about your kitchen. Gerard Depardieu gives a good performance and the costumes and scenery are exquisite.

I especially took an interest in the brief moment when the game of Billiards was being played, using a "shovel" style of paddle to move the balls around. It was quite obviously played as indoor croquet.I felt that the film conveyed the story of a downtrodden manager who attempted all for his master only to be shafted in the end. A brief fling with a courtesan, one that means much more to him than to her, contributes to his final act of frustration and despair.I'm sure that others will find historical inaccuracies, a fault of the production team, but I'm prepared to accept them as part of the process of bringing a story to film. Never let the facts get in the way of a good story telling.Altogether an interesting movie that makes a telling commentary on the excesses of the French aristocracy of the time.JC

This is a superb movie. Gerard portrays the character Vatel perfectly, the "party liaison", shall we say, who is trying to help Prince de Conde' regain the favor of the King, Louis XIV, to save his bankrupt province by putting together a massive weekend of splendor and banquets. Tim Roth plays a good supporting role, as the Marquis who is trying to bed Thurman. Also in the supporting cast is Timothy Spall. The movie is very colorful and wonderfully directed, and was nominated for best art direction. The director does well at portraying the time period, and keeps you captivated during every scene. Tim Roth could have had a better role, but that would probably be my only complaint about this movie. I'd give it a 9.5/10.

Spoilers herein.A terrific script, one which appears to be concerned with class imprisonment but is far more clever. The key notion here is self-reference.Vatel is a producer of lush entertainments, presented to us by -- a producer of lush entertainments. Though only the translation is by Stoppard, this is the most Stoppardian of notions: to amuse us with a story about people just as greedy as ourselves for luxurious entertainment -- and to please while condemning.The story goes farther into the truth: all entertainers are slaves, prostitutes. The game for an artist is one of drawing lines between that slavery and the noble joys of creation. Vatel does what he does because his obnoxious sponsors provide him the means to do what he desires. That's all, or not all because he needs the applause.Also in Stoppardian fashion, we have Roth (Guildenstern , Mitchel, Vincent) there to tell us the terrible truth about ourselves. The plot involves competing attentions to Uma's character -- essentially a sweet whore with canaries -- and Vatel, the grand coordinator of revels. He is pulled by the King and his present employer as well as sexually by the King's brother. He wins the admiration (and protection) of that brother in refusing his advances by noting their common perversion in the quest for perfection.How perfect for this film to be lacking the salt of engaging drama, that excuse we normally give for watching. How perfect that we collectively reject it because it is merely beautiful.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching