RUSSIAN DOLLS
Director Cédric Klapisch's sequel to "L’Auberge Espagnole" finds his original cast has not only gotten older but a lot more famous - too bad the scripting fails to mature at the same rate (but repeat viewing helps)!
2-1/4 stars (1st view) / 3 stars (2nd view)
[Les Poupees Russes/(2005)France-UK] - (2 hrs. 8 min.)
[2006 USA release: IFCfilms / In French (subtitled), English & Russian]
Written & directed by Cedric Klapisch
Lead characters/Cast
Xavier (freelance writer) - Romain Duris
Martine (his ex-girlfriend) - Audrey Tautou
Isabelle ('butch' lesbian/TV Stock analyst) - Cecile De France
Wendy (Brit writer) - Kelly Reilly
William (her brother/stagehand) - Kevin Bishop
Celia Shelburn (Supermodel) - Lucy Gordon
Natalia (aka Natacha/William's fiance) - Evguenya Obraztsova
Review:
Globalization is considered a bad thing by many folks, but in terms of the 'game of love' the chance for meeting your perfect mate increases as the world gets smaller and less restricted. How else could someone ever score a proverbial 'Russian Doll' if the Eastern borders hadn't finally opened up to the West.
Can the handsome writer (Romain Duris) who loathes his job writing 'soaps' filled with cliched romantic plotlines find the spiritual love of his life, or will he capitulate to the lure of physical perfection?
One thing's for certain, chickflickers will glean the most from this international search for the perfect partner and how far (literally) one has to go to find her. Travelling by Bullet Train and jet the audience is treated to London's Picadilly Square, Paris' environs, and St. Petersburg, Russia. This sequel (5 years after) falls a little short of its comic predecessor "L’Auberge Espagnole," but the original cast is back with their likable ensemble magic intact, so it rarely fails to entertain.
In regards to the stellar young cast, it's amazing how much can change in half a decade: actor Romain Duris had a transatlantic success last year ("The Beat My Heart Skipped"); Brit actress Kelly Reilly is currently in theaters nationwide ("Mrs Henderson Presents"); Audrey Tautou is set for a summer blockbuster ("The DaVinci Code"); and Cecile De France has been busy shocking theater (& DVD) audiences everywhere ("High Tension").
Luckily director Cedric Klapisch is such an engaging personality he was able to acquire these now-famous actors and put together the financing in France without spending years negotiating artist's salaries (as happens too often in tinsel town).
In conclusion, a charming international cast, eye-popping European locations, and relationship banter galore make this film a perfect antidote to the Hollywood date-flick blues. One of the best of the fests so be sure to check this one out!
Additional characters/Cast
Neus (Xavier's last love/flashback only) - Irene Montala
Edward (Wendy's ex-boyfriend) - Gary Love
Kassia (Salesgirl/new girlfriend for Xavier) - Aissa Maiga
Gérard - Olivier Saladin
Xavier's mother - Martine Demaret
Platane - Pierre Cassignard
Xavier's grandfather - Pierre Gérald
Mr. Boubaker - Zinedine Soualem
Mme Vanpeteguem - Hélène Médigue ...
TV producer - Carole Franck
John Edward (Soap character) - Julien Guéris
Odile (Soap character) - Laura Weissbecker
Natacha's father - Igor Ivanovich Gousev
Natacha's mother - Elena Evguenievna Soloviyova
Oleg (Natacha's brother) - Aleksandr Ivanovich Korpukhov
Soledad (Spanish wedding guest) - Cristina Brondo,
Alessandro - Federico D'Anna
Tobias - Barnaby Metschurat
Lars - Christian Pagh
Pierre Cohen Victor, & Zinedine Soualem
Director cameo:
Man on Big Screen (in London) - Cédric Klapisch
French/MOVIE website
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Director Cédric Klapisch's sequel to "L’Auberge Espagnole" finds his original cast has not only gotten older but a lot more famous - too bad the scripting fails to mature at the same rate (but repeat viewing helps)!
2-1/4 stars (1st view) / 3 stars (2nd view)
[Les Poupees Russes/(2005)France-UK] - (2 hrs. 8 min.)
[2006 USA release: IFCfilms / In French (subtitled), English & Russian]
Written & directed by Cedric Klapisch
Lead characters/Cast
Xavier (freelance writer) - Romain Duris
Martine (his ex-girlfriend) - Audrey Tautou
Isabelle ('butch' lesbian/TV Stock analyst) - Cecile De France
Wendy (Brit writer) - Kelly Reilly
William (her brother/stagehand) - Kevin Bishop
Celia Shelburn (Supermodel) - Lucy Gordon
Natalia (aka Natacha/William's fiance) - Evguenya Obraztsova
Review:
Globalization is considered a bad thing by many folks, but in terms of the 'game of love' the chance for meeting your perfect mate increases as the world gets smaller and less restricted. How else could someone ever score a proverbial 'Russian Doll' if the Eastern borders hadn't finally opened up to the West.
Can the handsome writer (Romain Duris) who loathes his job writing 'soaps' filled with cliched romantic plotlines find the spiritual love of his life, or will he capitulate to the lure of physical perfection?
One thing's for certain, chickflickers will glean the most from this international search for the perfect partner and how far (literally) one has to go to find her. Travelling by Bullet Train and jet the audience is treated to London's Picadilly Square, Paris' environs, and St. Petersburg, Russia. This sequel (5 years after) falls a little short of its comic predecessor "L’Auberge Espagnole," but the original cast is back with their likable ensemble magic intact, so it rarely fails to entertain.
In regards to the stellar young cast, it's amazing how much can change in half a decade: actor Romain Duris had a transatlantic success last year ("The Beat My Heart Skipped"); Brit actress Kelly Reilly is currently in theaters nationwide ("Mrs Henderson Presents"); Audrey Tautou is set for a summer blockbuster ("The DaVinci Code"); and Cecile De France has been busy shocking theater (& DVD) audiences everywhere ("High Tension").
Luckily director Cedric Klapisch is such an engaging personality he was able to acquire these now-famous actors and put together the financing in France without spending years negotiating artist's salaries (as happens too often in tinsel town).
In conclusion, a charming international cast, eye-popping European locations, and relationship banter galore make this film a perfect antidote to the Hollywood date-flick blues. One of the best of the fests so be sure to check this one out!
Additional characters/Cast
Neus (Xavier's last love/flashback only) - Irene Montala
Edward (Wendy's ex-boyfriend) - Gary Love
Kassia (Salesgirl/new girlfriend for Xavier) - Aissa Maiga
Gérard - Olivier Saladin
Xavier's mother - Martine Demaret
Platane - Pierre Cassignard
Xavier's grandfather - Pierre Gérald
Mr. Boubaker - Zinedine Soualem
Mme Vanpeteguem - Hélène Médigue ...
TV producer - Carole Franck
John Edward (Soap character) - Julien Guéris
Odile (Soap character) - Laura Weissbecker
Natacha's father - Igor Ivanovich Gousev
Natacha's mother - Elena Evguenievna Soloviyova
Oleg (Natacha's brother) - Aleksandr Ivanovich Korpukhov
Soledad (Spanish wedding guest) - Cristina Brondo,
Alessandro - Federico D'Anna
Tobias - Barnaby Metschurat
Lars - Christian Pagh
Pierre Cohen Victor, & Zinedine Soualem
Director cameo:
Man on Big Screen (in London) - Cédric Klapisch
French/MOVIE website
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++