Related News
‘Populaire’ stylish, shallow
Print Edition
It’s “Mad Men” meets “The Artist” in “Populaire,” a superbly crafted, finely acted but somewhat shallow retro rom-com about a young French secretary who, with the help of her highly persuasive boss, hammers her way to becoming one of the fastest typists on the planet.
This impressive debut feature from writer-director Regis Roinsard is boosted by terrific lead turns from Romain Duris and Deborah Francois (“The Page Turner”), as well as some stunning old-school cinematography from Guillaume Schiffman of “The Artist.” Still, there’s something formulaic and all too overtly crowd-pleasing about this sepia-toned tale of female empowerment and lost love, making for a rather soulless affair.
Set in the rain-swept towns of Lower Normandy in 1958, the film makes its throwback status heard loud and clear, with opening credits straight out of a Billy Wilder movie and decors and a color palette that would please the likes of both Alfred Hitchcock and “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner. Indeed, it’s easy to spend most of the movie simply gawking at the sets (by Sylvie Olive) and costumes (by Charlotte David), so Roinsard, along with co-writers Daniel Presley and Romain Compingt, deserves credit for weaving an amusing intrigue that never lets up until the closing half-hour.
A quick intro presents small-town gal Rose Pamphyle (Francois), who works at her dad’s grocery store but longs for a better life. She decides to apply for a secretarial position at an insurance office run by the sleek, fast-talking Louis Echard (Duris), who’s impressed by both her superhuman typing skills and killer looks. Before long, he takes Rose under his wing, training her for a regional secretary competition and moving her into his country mansion, where she’s swept into a daily regimen of extreme typewriting and unrequited romance.
The bond the two form is not unlike that of Don Draper and Peggy Olson and Rose’s climb to a higher social status is reminiscent of Peggy’s evolution from clerk to copywriter. The difference here is that while the “Mad Men” duo ultimately transforms into a surrogate father-daughter team, the two Frenchies clearly have the hots for each other. Yet Louis is incapable of closing the deal, blocked by an enduring affection for his childhood sweetheart (Berenice Bejo) and memories of serving in the French Resistance during WWII.
While the love story is meant to fuel much of the action, it’s often overshadowed by the thrill of the training sessions and typing competitions. Cutting between competing secretaries as they pound out keystrokes and slam back carriages, the director and editors Laure Gardette and Sophie Reine endow these sequences with the nail-biting suspense of a finale at Roland Garros.
But for all the earnestness with which the filmmakers replicate the post-war era, they ultimately fail to say anything truly interesting about either past or present. There are times when “Populaire” seems to be channeling its love of movies simply as a means to achieve Hollywood clout.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
