Thank You for Calling

"We contact business, banks, we pretend to be their president and with a rather extraordinary gift of the gab we manage to get large amounts of money," Chikli, 49, told French television in 2010.

This movie is based upon Chikli's true story ,although the names were changed.

The first thirty minutes are a delight;treated as a comedy ,or a spoof on those thrillers where instructions are given by phone, there's never a dull moment ;the bank executive's naivete knows no bounds as she is told she is "chosen" because "they " rely on her ,she is on an assignment ,France's future is at stake,blah blah blah .Vincent Elbaz is so persuasive that the viewer himself does believe his patter."We're leaving for Scotland !we're gonna fish for salmon !"says the con artist to his victim sitting on the toilet seat.

They should have finished the movie here ;in this part of the movie,every line hits home ,including that line of the not-so-smart brother who wants to retrain and go into tree cultivation.

The rest of the movie suffers from a desultory screenplay ,sometimes repetitive ;the writers hesitate between comedy and drama ,and the story lacks focus .

But,I say it again ,the first third is worth the price of admission!