According to common usage, the French word stupide comes closer to silly than to dumb, which is how I might rationalize my affection for this harebrained, obvious, but euphoric tale (2002) from Claude Lelouch. Mainly set in and around Fez, Morocco, it traces the budding romance between an international jewel thief (Jeremy Irons) sailing around the world and a touring French jazz vocalist (Patricia Kaas), both of them subject to bouts of amnesia. Hitchcock is one of the acknowledged inspirations (specifically To Catch a Thief), and Michel Legrand wrote the score, both of which may explain my pleasure. Among the other settings are Paris and London, and the secondary cast includes Thierry Lhermitte, Alessandra Martines, Jean-Marie Bigard, and Claudia Cardinale. Much of the dialogue is in English and the rest (mainly French) is subtitled. 133 min. (JR)