- Film Review
- Reviewed By Alan Jones
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3 out of 5
After being informed that she has just weeks to live, New Orleans sales assistant Queen Latifah jets off to snowy Europe to meet her hero, chef Gérard Depardieu, and make the luxurious most of her supposed time left in the glamorous Grand Hotel Pupp. Without Latifah's hugely likeable performance, director Wayne Wang's cute and glossy Hollywood version of the JB Priestley/Alec Guinness 1950 satire would be a drab wish-fulfilment fantasy. Instead, the gentle comedy shines through the frothy predictability with an unforced lightness of touch thanks to the fairy-tale Karlovy Vary ski-resort setting and the beyond-the-call-of-duty support cast (which includes LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Alicia Witt and Giancarlo Esposito). Essentially, it's a harmless bit of feel-good fluff with Latifah's personality making even the broadest slapstick scenes work.
Plot Summary
Comedy starring Queen Latifah. A New Orleans saleswoman is misdiagnosed with a fatal illness and starts making up for lost time by withdrawing all her savings and indulging in a taste of the high life before she goes. Checking into a glamorous Czech hotel, she soon has the other guests wondering who this wealthy yet down-to-earth woman can be.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Georgia Byrd
- Queen Latifah
- Sean Matthews
- L L Cool J
- Matthew Kragen
- Timothy Hutton
- Senator Dillings
- Giancarlo Esposito
- Ms Burns
- Alicia Witt
- Chef Didier
- Gérard Depardieu
- Congressman Stewart
- Michael Nouri
- Rochelle
- Jane Adams (2)
- Ms Gunther
- Susan Kellermann
- Darius
- Jascha Washington
Crew
- Director
- Wayne Wang
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