Les poupées russes (2005) Reviews

• Don't hesitate, but let yourself be surprised by it.

  philip_vanderveken2005-07-19

  When I decided to watch this movie in the cinema with one of my friends, I didn't really know anything about it. All I knew about this film was what he told me. He said that it was directed by the man who made "L'Auberge espagnole", which he liked a lot, but he didn't think that this movie would be a sequel to that one and I believed him. If I had known that it was a sequel, I would probably not have given it a try, because in my opinion there are only few sequels worth a watch and when you haven't seen the first one, it's almost always impossible to know what exactly they are talking about. But despite what we thought, this was a sequel. Even though I hadn't seen the first movie, I could easily understand the story. Xavier is about to celebrate his thirtieth birthday and he is on a turning point in his life. He's no longer a student, but he hasn't yet got a regular adult life either. He's single, works as a reporter and ghost writer instead of being a renowned novelist,... and to make things worse, his love life is a gigantic mess. He's afraid of not finding the right one, because all he has are unfinished romances and one night stands. When he finally finds a girl that he likes, he always believes that there is something better out there and not knowing when to stop looking for more, he is unable to keep them with him... I really liked this movie a lot and I guess there is a very good explanation for it. When watching this movie I had the feeling that it was me they were talking about. I'm a bit too much like Xavier than what I sometimes would like to admit. I'm in my late twenties, haven't got a terrific job, I'm still single, sometimes don't feel ready for the steady adult life, but still want to enjoy my youth... Even the friends from all over Europe are the same since I've studied in a similar project. But even when you can't completely identify yourself with one of the characters, I believe there is something good in it for everyone. The story on itself is very well written and thanks to the different places never feels the same. They have filmed in Paris, Saint-Petersburg and London and those three cities and the situations that take place there are different enough to keep you interested from the beginning until the end. Next to the story, this movie also offers some very fine acting by all the actors, but what else can you expect from people like Audrey Tatou, Cécile de France,... As a conclusion I would like to say that everybody who is about to turn thirty will probably like it, but even the others will find enough good and interesting things in this movie. There is some very intelligent humor, a lot of fine acting and a lack of too many romantic movie clichés to be found in it. And although I'm sure it will never become a very popular movie (there were only 12 people in the audience when I went to see it on a Sunday evening), I'm sure that those who will give it a try, will not regret it. I know I didn't, I even give this movie a 9/10. If I had seen the first movie and understood from the beginning what was going on, it might even have been a 10/10. This movie should be cherished by all.

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• Pretty good 2nd one

  as202005-07-04

  OK, i loved L'auberge Espagnole so my expectations were high. I didn't know what to expect even though after having read some of the reviews and opinions on here i knew i was in for some good 2 hours. And it really was good. The good thing about it is that it's not a remake of the first one. While some will probably miss the whole mixing of nationalities, we can enjoy the fact that the characters are more developed, the story is in the continuity of the first one, and some references are made to L'auberge, but they seem natural. The girls are beautiful,(Xavier is a really lucky guy), the English girl playing Wendy is even more beautiful than in the first one and the fact that we travel so much during this film is the cherry on the cake. For a very good moment, go see this one.

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• I'm Too Old For This

  groggo2007-08-12

  Somebody reviewed this film earlier and called it 'totally awesome'. Somehow, that was appropriate. This is EXACTLY the kind of film that appeals to people who use the word 'awesome' to describe everything from car crashes to runaway squirrels. I'm past middle age, and should be ashamed of myself for even watching this 'confection,' which reminded me of a VERY long PG version of the TV show Friends, and, like, we all know that show is, like, so totally awesome, ah, like. I've seen variations on this 'plot' (??) roughly six thousand times over the past ten years -- talented guys (they're ALWAYS talented guys: usually writers; no menial slapheads in dead-end jobs need apply) who just can't decide if they love X,Y, or Z, and X,Y, or Z can't decide if they love A,B, or C. Meanwhile, lesbians or gay men keep popping in and out along the way, accompanied by estranged parents who magically seem to end up back together after years of hating each other. In short, this film is driven by formula (and profit); it is designed to attract the optimum number of audiences, irrespective of age, gender or sexual orientation. Giveth unto me a break. Russian Dolls is laughable because of the hysteria over the subject matter: that is, the whole meaning of human existence amounts to whether or not you're going to find Mr. or Ms. Right. Forget Socratic enquiry or the guru on the mountain: life is a titanic struggle between testosterone and estrogen. Bernard Shaw's famous line ('youth is a wonderful thing; too bad it's wasted on the young') is on full display in this movie. The massive computer dating racket (sorry, industry?) is clogged with miserable people who thought they found 'love' in their 20s. Inevitably, they married and shortly thereafter found this 'love' was actually just a bad case of overheated loins. Unbridled lust is not a reliable indicator of the hopelessly complex nature of 'love,' but when you watch movies like Russian Dolls, you'd think it was. This is ostensibly a French movie, but it very much resembles what is pumped out of the Hollywood factory about once a week on average (or is it just my imagination?). What Russian Dolls DOES offer that's out of the ordinary is some terrific post-card scenery (London, Barcelona, St. Petersburg, Paris). Anchoring this pleasant fluff (it really IS pleasant; stupid, but pleasant) is Romain Duris, who perfectly fits the central casting requirement of the hapless hero who just can't seem to get it together. Think of a Gallic version of Friends' David Schwimmer. The problem with Duris (and many other current actors like him) is that he's playing a 'type' that has been played countless times before. Couldn't an actor just sleep-walk through this part? Duris is a likable (maybe even lovable) clod, but I'm not sure about his acting skills. I just saw him in the 2007 French film Moliere, and somebody should file a lawsuit for criminal miscasting. The dialogue in Russian Dolls is pretty pedestrian (actually, unintentionally hilarious), but overall the thing that really irritated me was the length. It just wouldn't stop. At 2 hours, 5 minutes on my clock, I was near the breaking point before it mercifully wrapped up and went home. It really shouldn't take more than, say, 80 minutes to tell this story, which has been told many, many, many times before. In essence, it's really just a dressed-up, extended (and expensive) version of a sitcom episode. Other than all of the above, Russian Dolls is, like, you know, like, totally awesome. Ah, dude.

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• Loved Both of the Movies

  bwp1262006-07-30

  In the same way that L'Auberge Espagnole dealt with the difficulties of career, school, and growing up in general, Russian Dolls deals with love and growing older. I think the great thing about both of these movies is that so many people can look at these characters- especially Xavier- and say, "Yes! I'm not the only one going through this stuff then!" During both movies there were certain phrases and quotes that made me stop and say, "Wow! That is dead on!" Like in L'Auberge when Xavier talks about how life seems less complicated for everybody else, more organized. Or the final line in Russian Dolls about the search for that special someone. Great movies, entertaining, but most of all they speak to those of us who are still trying to figure it all out!

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• Thanks ( again) Monsieur K. !

  kapipo-12005-06-19

  Hi there ! I saw Les Poupées Russes yesterday, and first of all : ouch ! my poor eyes were stricken by all these beautiful girls bursting the screen A.Tautou, C. De France, K. Reilly etc... OK let's stay cool and let's describe this movie. I'll do it short : it's about love ! love and what it means for us, mere humans, perpetually lost in the whirlwind of these damn feelings we made up... Humm i don't want to spoil the story, but let me tell you that when you come out the theaters, you'll understand why this movie's called " Russian dolls" ^^ Xavier's life is a mess, he is us ! us in front of life's dilemma : who to love and why... The Spooky band ( i just made that name up, don't bother searching )is back, even if certain characters do only figuration, sort of " i put this one too in the movie". Some scenes denote a very intelligent humour. Of course, the movie does not avoid "love-clichés", but they are quite rare and it deserves to have l"Auberge Espagnole" as a father. Voilà ! Merci encore mister Klapisch. I gave that movie a 10. ( Sorry for my poor English ^^)

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