Les poupées russes (2005)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Cédric Klapisch

Writer:

Cédric Klapisch (writer)

Release Date:

15 June 2005 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Five years after their summer together in Barcelona, Xavier, William, Wendy, Martine and Isabelle reunite.

Plot Keywords:

Ghost Writer | Writer | One Night Stand | Heartbreak | Fast Motion Scene

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Romain Duris	...	Xavier Rousseau
Kelly Reilly	...	Wendy
Audrey Tautou	...	Martine
Cécile De France	...	Isabelle
Kevin Bishop	...	William
Evguenya Obraztsova	...	Natacha
Irene Montalà	...	Neus
Gary Love	...	Edward
Lucy Gordon	...	Celia Shelburn
Aïssa Maïga	...	Kassia
Martine Demaret	...	Xavier's Mother
Pierre Cassignard	...	Platane
Olivier Saladin	...	Gérard
Pierre Gérald	...	Xavier's Grandfather
Zinedine Soualem	...	Mr. Boubaker

Also Known As:

Russian Dolls (Australia) (DVD title) (UK) (USA) (DVD title)
Russian Dolls: Pot Luck 2 (UK) (DVD title)
The Russian Dolls (literal English title)

Runtime:

125 min | Germany:129 min

Country:

France | UK

Language:

English | Russian | French | Spanish | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Germany:6 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Czech Republic:12 | Argentina:16 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | Brazil:14 (Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival) | Brazil:16 | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | France:U

Filming Locations:

Bolshoi Prospekt, St. Petersburg, Russia

Company:

Lunar Films

Trivia:

The Kookai store where Cassia works is at 155, Rue de Rennes in the 6th arrondissement of Paris.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the end of the film, Wendy greets Xavier on the Eurostar platform. Non-passengers are not permitted access to the platforms at Waterloo.

Quotes:

William: This is known as the street of "ideal proportions." It's 25 meters high, 25 meters wide, and 250 meters long. Personally, I don't see what's so ideal about it. The Russians are obsessed with the - they're obsessed with things being ideal, you know?
Natacha: It's not true.
William: Yes, it is darling. Well, it's not a bad thing. I mean, you know, English people, we've got some bad habits as well. I mean do you remember - Wendy, do you remember your boyfriend, the American one? What was his name? Bruce.
Wendy: Yes.
William: Right, well, I was talking to him one day, and he said to me, "Problem with you English guys is, you're always saying 'I'm sorry.' All the time, you're saying 'I'm sorry about this, I'm sorry about that.'" And you know what? It's actually true. We do say "I'm sorry" too much. What can I say? We're sorry. I said to him, "I'm sorry about that. I apologize. But that's it, you know? Nobody's perfect."

Movie Connections:

References L'auberge espagnole (2002)

Soundtrack:

Mysteries

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

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.