Populaire (2013)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

And nothing more. Too superficial story and plot in terms of events and psychological actions and reactions. A romantic comedy of the kind of cinema (chiefly from Hollywood) used to show in the fifties of last century and that is maybe why the plot takes place in the end of that decade. A girl who lived in a village in Normandy, France aspires not to stay there as a bourgeois married housewife and wants to become a secretary. After being hired by an insurance businessman she astonishes him by her extraordinary typing speed and being himself a competitive person he intends to make her a champion and leads her to take part in typewriting championships first in France and finally in New York. She got first place in all of them and becomes World Typewriting Champion in the end. However a troubled love relationship starts between them because his love for competition conflicts often with his love for her. All this is shown in a very simple way with no special dramatic scenes.

Well, I suppose some would say it is a comedy. In fact it is not really funny. Of course sometimes, occasionally, it might raise a smile, of sorts. But it is stretching it to call it a comedy. If it had been made in the 1950's or early 1960's when it is supposed to be set, rather uncertainly - there are inconsistencies in the set that could go towards its goof count - it might have interest as a historical document. But to think that this was made as late as 2012 begs questions of values the production team and others involved (except perhaps for the actors, who would always appreciate a crust of bread.) And it begs a similar question about those who were rating it as highly as they did.The "girls", adult women, are treated as performing chimpanzees, set up to compete - in the final showdown indeed in a non-contact cat-fight, as speed typists, the acme and ultimate ambition for women in the man's world that is/was an office. The romantic line running through it, that may allow some to ignore the reality of what the film said it was about, is really thin and full of stereotypes, and the final denouement is sad in its predictability. Really, have they learnt and understood nothing about the relations between the sexes, patronising bosses (patrons), lecherous bosses' sons, equal opportunity, sexism and discrimination and so on. It is not a question of "political correctness", just of maturity in film-making. This is not mature. Who was the intended film audience, what were they wanting to say to those people? That that was some halycon, good-old-days ? There is a place for re-creating old film styles. For a brilliant film that does successfully to the highest degree, by contrast with this, see:he Artist another French films made only a year earlier in 2011, also called a romantic comedy-drama (written, directed, and co-edited by Michel Hazanavicius). Ironically that film also had Bérénice Bejo who deservedly was praised for he part. In this film there was nothing that she could have done. Or anyone for that. Sorry folks, that's all!

It's the 1950ies and everyone is smoking and wearing fabulous clothes. Rose is a smalltown girl who, like millions of girls like her, dreams of striking it big -- and becoming a secretary. And although she can only type with two fingers, she is hired by a dreamboat insurance agent! In order to prove that he didn't just hire her for her good looks, he coaches her for typing competitions. Will Rose become world typing champion -- and ten-finger-type her way into her stern employer's heart? I actually switched off during the national competition as the movie had become too linear and predictable. The 1950ies are presented to us as a chic and swinging version of the dark middle ages where upbeat elevator music is always in the air. In other words: Living hell. At least to me. The movie tries to create a sort of mythical reality like in "Amélie de Montmartre" but portrays a world that is perfectly groomed but scary rather than likable. A world where arranged marriages are normal, women are so brainwashed that they all dream of becoming a secretary, and "world typing champions" are considered the epitome of glamour. That doesn't entertain me, it just insults my intelligence.Rose is a pretty young girl wearing fabulous dresses, who somehow considers herself an ugly duckling for dramatic reasons. She meets her employer about five minutes into the movie, and it immediately becomes clear that romance must ensue. But because it would be a very short movie if they'd jumped their bones right there and then, the movie comes up with the plot device that monsieur le insurance agent wants to see his secretary, who can only type with two fingers, become world typing champion.If you can buy into that and enjoy fabulous production design, this movie is for you. I couldn't and it wasn't. Like another commentator stated, this like Japanese kabuki theatre the costumes and beautiful actors come before the storytelling.

In 1958, the young Rose Pamphyle (Déborah François) dreams on leaving the small village in the countryside of France where she lives with her grumpy father Jean Pamphyle (Frédéric Pierrot), who is a widower that runs a store and wishes that Rose get married to the son of the local mechanic. Rose learns by herself how to type using only two fingers and when she sees an advertisement for a secretary for the insurance agent Louis Échard (Romain Duris) in Lisieux, Lower Normandy, she immediately travels to city.Rose has a bad interview but she impresses Louis typing at very high speed. Louis decides to hire her for a short period of experience and Rose shows that she is a clumsy secretary. But Louis is a former sportsman and he decides to train Rose how to type correctly to dispute a speed typing competition. He brings Rose to his home and she learns how to play piano to help her typing with Louis's childhood friend Marie Taylor (Bérénice Bejo) that is married with the American Bob Taylor (Shaun Benson). She becomes close to his friends and family. Rose becomes the fastest typist in France and now she needs to train to compete in the world title in USA. But Louis, who has fallen in love with her, believes that he is not enough to help her and decides to sacrifice his love to make Rose's dream come true. Is his attitude correct? "Populaire" is another sweet French romantic comedy, with stunning art direction and two of the most contemporary charming French actress, the unknown Déborah François and the lovely Bérénice Bejo that became internationally famous with "The Artist". "Populaire" is not a masterpiece, has ups and downs, but is delightful to see and one of the most entertaining movies that I have seen this year. It is also nostalgic, for experienced viewers like me. Any fan of romantic comedies will certainly love the clumsy but charming Rose Pamphyle. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "A Datilógrafa" ("The Typist")