Castella's chief source of pleasure has been earning money. Clara's is creating art and the pursuit of an intellectual life. To the amazement of his friends and family, he begins pursuing her. Here is where Jaoui's comedy of manners starts turning expectations upside down. If the film has a message, it's a simple one.
Nothing is really as it seems.
The trick is being open to discovering what lies beneath. There's an endless stream of faux pas that make him the butt of every in-joke within Clara's insular and sophisticated crowd. But the bohemians Castello is trying to befriend are anything but innocent. While laughing at him behind his back, they are more than eager to let him pick up the tab. Though not separated by class, the driver judges his lover on other, equally punitive grounds.