Jeanne et le Garçon Formidable

This ambitious contemporary musical quite literally makes a big production number out of AIDS. The virus looms large in the life of Jeanne (Ledoyen, gamine to a fault), who thinks she has found the perfect guy until he starts getting dizzy spells and ends up in the hospital. He's played by Mathieu Demy, son of Jacques, who of course made the definitive Gallic musical in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. No Michel Legrand score here, however, just bustling sub-Eurovision tunelessness which leaves the heart resolutely untouched. The jaunty choreography and vivid colours make a piquant contrast with the serious subject matter, but we never really believe in the characters enough for it to count. An enterprising idea, disappointing in execution.