DVD Review: A Five Star Life

A Five Star Life is sweet, often gentle and endearing film about a woman who works as an inspector of luxury hotels, but whose personal life might be somewhat lacking. The opening credits play over a scene of Irene (Margherita Buy) going about her work, donning white gloves to check for dust on the headboard and picture frames, and then checking things off the list on her computer. Then, after going through the motions of leaving, she immediately returns to the hotel lobby to speak with the hotel manager, clearly standard operating procedure (and an interesting detail). And though this posh hotel is located in Paris, the city has not been one of romance for Irene. You immediately get the sense that it’s all been work, even the moments when she wasn’t conducting her inspections.

She then returns home to an immaculate and lonesome, even cold, apartment, and goes to sleep by herself in the daylight. We soon learn that the only other two female inspectors have quit in order to pursue more family-oriented goals, and so Irene’s boss wants her to take over those women’s work. “More traveling, but more salary,” he tells her. Irene realizes she is the ideal hotel inspector because she doesn’t have a life of her own.

However, it’s not like she’s completely alone. The movie creates a more rounded and believable character than that. We see how happy Irene is with her two nieces, how natural she is with them, at least for short spurts. Though her sister points out that she doesn’t spend enough time with them. We also meet Andrea, Irene’s ex, who runs a kind of food basket operation, and for whom Irene still maintains affection. Irene is forced to take a more serious look at this friendship when Fabiana, Andrea’s girlfriend, becomes pregnant and Andrea’s priorities shift.

The film does an excellent job of establishing Irene’s character. While she is at work in Switzerland, the film cuts back and forth between her doing her work inside the hotel room and shots of the gorgeous terrain outside. Because of that scene, a later scene when she is out and about in Morocco hits us more strongly. Her changing desires are clear without the use of any dialogue. She is character that we like a lot, particularly when she stands up to a hotel manager on behalf of a young couple who weren’t treated with the respect shown other customers.

There are some sweet, funny moments, like when Irene reads her report on a hotel as if it’s a novel she’s working on. But I also love that the film is serious, and takes into account the complications of life and relationships. Irene meets Kate (played by the always-wonderful Lesley Manville), who gives her a fresh perspective on the world in which Irene spends much of her time, the so-called luxury and opulence, and makes her look more critically at the way she herself is living.

Special Features

The DVD includes some bonus material, including Behind The Scenes Of A Five Star Life, nine minutes of footage from the production (but without any interviews with cast or crew). There are also five minutes of outtakes, including some funny moments in the car, and one deleted scene. The DVD also includes two trailers for the film.

A Five Star Life was released on DVD on November 4, 2014 through Music Box Films. It is presented in Italian, with English subtitles.