Russian Dolls
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Movie Reviews of Russian Dolls
Movie Review: Great movie, nostalgic for my years of study abroad
Summary: 5 Stars
Great movie, loved the romance and disenchantment of the story - makes it more realistic.
The story from l'auberge espagnole comes full circle!
Movie Review: Very good sequel...
Summary: 5 Stars
It was as good a follow-up as I was hoping. Unfortunately I don't see if there can be a trilogy...
Sylvain
Movie Review: Russian Dolls great
Summary: 5 Stars
Another great movie, just like its prequel (L'Auberge Espagnole), another must seeMovie Review: L' Auberge Espagnole': The Sequel
Summary: 4 Stars
RUSSIAN DOLLS ('Les Poupées russes') is the full of love folllowup by Cédric Klapisch to his highly successful 2002 film 'L'Auberge Espagnole', the film that tossed multinational young people together in a Barcelona apartment and watched them interact and create some sense out of the havoc that was their lives. Klapisch has fine comic timing, a sense of spontaneity, and a cast lifted from his previous film - all ingredients for a fine little spin on current relationships. If the film is too much in love with itself, (the self-indulgent multiple split screen viewing and back and forth pacing tends to be a bit cutesy), in the end there is so much fun and wry wisdom to spread around that many of the holes in the script can be forgiven.
The story focuses on event five years after the Barcelona doings in 'L'Auberge Espagnole' and yet as the main character Xavier Rousseau (Romain Duris) narrates the current tale he finds the need for flashbacks to explain current circumstances. William (Kevin Bishop), the bigot from before who labeled roommate Tobias (Barnaby Metschurat) as a Nazi, has smoothed out a bit and in fact has found love in a Russian girl Natacha (Evguenya Obraztsova), a Russian ballet dancer who lives in St. Petersburg and the current story is supposed to be about their wedding in St. Petersburg which will also be a reunion for all the roommates from Barcelona. Xavier is a writer who is forced to be a ghostwriter for celebrities who want to publish memoirs because he has difficulty writing a silly television love series and is stuck in his writing of his own novel. He cannot keep relationships (but then very few in this group of friends can) and he teeters between his allegiance to his ex Martine (Audrey Tautou), while moving in on one of the celebrity interviewees Celia (Lucy Gordon). He is warned by his lesbian roommate Isabelle (Cécile De France) about his wanton ways but Xavier uses Isabelle as cover for his 98-year-old grandfather (Pierre Gérald), who insists he marry. Xavier toys with a beautiful black girl Kassia (Aïssa Maïga) and is rejected, and just about the time when Xavier feels as though he will never find the right girl ('You just keep opening them like Russian nested dolls hoping that the one in the center will be your choice'), his script is picked up by BBC and he flies to London to work with Wendy (Kelly Reilly - William's attractive sister, unsuccessful in finding a decent mate) and voila! The rest of the intrigue is best left to the viewer: it does become complicated and multilingual and hilarious...and touching.
Weaving all the cast members form his first film into the resolution of the second film proves to have some problems in continuity, but then this is not great writing nor was it meant to be. This is French comedy in fine form and is a thoroughly entertaining film and the chance to watch some beautiful people display how crazy relationships today have become. Grady Harp, November 06
Movie Review: Okay, but no match for "L'Auberge Espagnole"
Summary: 4 Stars
If you're like me, you will seek out "Russian Dolls" once you realize that it's a sequel to director/writer Cédric Klapisch's 2002 breakout hit "L'Auberge Espagnole." Now, that was a great movie - funny, wildly inventive (I still remember with perfect clarity four years later how Klapisch depicted Parisian bureaucracy - slapping form after form on the screen), likable characters...the works.
So, the obvious question will be: How does 'Dolls' measure up? Sorry to say it just doesn't have the same energy or likability. It's _okay_ on its own, frankly, but "L'Auberge" gives it a high bar to aim for and it falls short of the mark. Romain Duris' character, Xavier - the guy we want to root for - has become very unlikeable here (and I'm a big Duris fan), passing up Audrey Tautou (hello?) then Kelly Reilly on his way to...well, he's not really sure. This is where the title comes into play...he keeps looking for the next girl, who surely will be the perfect one ("You just keep opening them like Russian nested dolls hoping that the one in the center will be your choice"). Okay, that's a good one. But, my wife and I watched and felt Klapisch had lost the audience: we no longer wanted Xavier to succeed (or perhaps we wish he had succeeded in somewhat less than 125 minutes).
Kudos to Klapisch though for bringing back Kevin Bishop's brilliant 'William' character and making him a major part of the movie. He's great once again here.
Also, if you want to check out Romain Duris in quite a different role, don't miss him in Jacques Audiard "The Beat That My Heart Skipped."