Jamel Debbouze stars as a small time crook, Andre, who owes some people a lot of money, and fast. (The film doesn’t say what he’s needed that money for.) He tries borrowing new money to pay the old lender, but it is unsuccessful because he is just not good at asserting himself. Feeling the heat, he tries to commit suicide on a bridge, but saves a leggy blonde Angela (Rie Rasmussen), who is doing the same. He doesn’t want to admit his suicide urge but she is forthright and says she will do anything he wants in return for him saving her life. Throughout the film she expresses her opinion that Andre is just too meek to be the tough guy that his lifestyle needs him to be. The story shows her boldly going where Andre has never gone before.
Andre thinks he can impress the new money guy by bringing Angela along, hoping this will convince the guy he is a big shot and deserves the money. When he is still unsuccessful, Angela agrees to have sex with the guy for cash, which discomfits Andre, and although he is at odds over whether to take her money or not, he does end up taking it. She continues this behavior by having sex with men at clubs for money, leaving Andre to drink alone in misery and collect the cash. From time to time they meet up with the bruisers to whom he owes money, but it seems Angela has some kind of special powers where she can coerce men into doing what she wants (or easily knocks them out).
Later she tries to convince Andre that all he needs to boost his confidence is to be more self-assured, and there is a scene where Andre has to admit to himself that he needs to love himself more. She convinces Andre to look in a mirror and voice some self-affirmation mantras.
I don’t think the two leads are leading actor material. The dialogue is not very deep although every now and again there is a good line. The story arc itself is slight and most of the beginning half is Andre morosely allowing Angela to be the assertive one to get the money he needs (although later it is revealed that through her magic powers she just pretended to have sex with strangers). This part of the story doesn’t really allow us to sympathize with Andre or Angela, as in the title you are to assume that Angela is some kind of guardian angel yet her behavior is assumed to be immoral. The story takes its long roundabout way to finally get to the point where Andre has to love himself, a message we've already caught on to early on. The actress playing Angela seems like she is a model or non-actress so her acting is uneven and she was probably chosen for her physical appearance more than anything. Now and then, though, Rasmussen's acting is more confident than that of Debbouze.
The story also makes Andre a Moroccan immigrant who is hoping to live in the United States, as if that is some kind of Taxi Driver shorthand for being a cool bad guy (the Luc Besson influence I guess). This aspect though is not really explored or addressed in any serious way for Andre’s character even though it seems to have affected him throughout his life.
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