October 3, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II & IV • Page 17 ‘Delicacy’ is tale of love lost and reawakened by Dennis Seuling “Delicacy” (Cohen Media Group) is a pleasant French romantic drama about Nathalie (Audrey Tatou) who meets Francois (Pio Marmai) in a “meet cute” scene and then marry, destined to have a perfect life of happiness. But fate intervenes when Francois is killed in a tragic accident, allowing Tatou to take center stage as she attempts to pick up the pieces and move on. She devotes herself to her job while wearing an aura of perpetual sadness that her boss thinks makes her even more beautiful. When the film seems to settle into a routine tale, viewers are thrown off balance when a sort of attraction develops between Nathalie and a hulking, bald Swede named Markus (Francois Damiens). Her co-workers are appalled at the match, and the two hardly seem the idealized romantic twosome. The joy of watching Tatou is the primary attraction of “Delicacy,” a movie that otherwise would not shine. The scenes of the sorrowful Nathalie are the best, as Tatou makes her both sympathetic and alluring. She has some of the gamine quality of Audrey Hepburn, yet her Nathalie is a less whimsical character than Amelie, the role that made her a star. It is somewhat off-putting to see the highest member of the executive branch of government smack in the middle of a romantic comedy. President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) is a widower, and his position makes it difficult for him to date in the traditional manner. He is attracted to lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening) and invites her to a gala state dinner. This 1995 film, written by Aaron Sorkin and directed with panache by Rob Reiner, was the inspiration for TV’s “The West Wing,” though the film is far more personal, with most of the attention focused on the relationship between Shepherd and Wade as he navigates a courtship and the demands of public office. Conflict is present in the form of Senator Bob Rumson (Richard Dreyfuss), Shepherd’s prime political opponent who launches an attack on Shepherd’s character, something he could not do in the previous election as Shepherd’s wife had only recently died. Douglas is appropriately presidential, but Bening pulls off the tougher task of looking like both a professional Beltway insider and an adorable, sexy woman in the Carole Lombard/Irene Dunne style. In fact, the movie is especially effective in channeling 1930s screwball comedy. The excellent supporting cast includes Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, Anna Devere Smith, and Samantha Mathis. There are no bonus features on this bare-bones release. “Drunkboat” (Virgil Films) is the story (continued on Crossword page) Audrey Tatou stars as office worker Nathalie in ‘Delicacy.’ degree of sexual harassment that is depicted in the French workplace. Open flirtations and more are treated as a matter of course. Today, scenes such as this in an American film would certainly raise eyebrows and distract from the narrative. Blu-ray features include a making-of featurette and an interview with Tatou. The film is in French, with English subtitles. “The American President” (Warner Home Video), new on Blu-ray, places the