Absurdly realistic with deadpan mirth

Rating: 8/10 (17 April 2014)

From the poster, the cast would have fascinated any viewer. Except for the "brilliant new star", nearly all the names were known to a certain degree to the general population. This tells the story about a luxury hotel which had seen better times and housed distinguished guests (aristocracy and royalty) - all due to the charm and charisma of the concierge, in effect the chief running the hotel.
You would have thought this movie a cliché - it is anything but. Yes it depicted (in a flurry) the fantasy "old-world" pre-WW II era of wealth, richness and decadence, meanwhile it did not shy from poking fun at the airy, the sophisticated and the snobbish. The storyline was absurdly realistic with a surreal ephemeral earthiness; one felt most (if not all) events were ludicrous and yet quite possible given the circumstances. This generated what I would call "deadpan mirth" - hope I didn't overdo the oxymorons here.