Les poupées russes (2005)

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:

Writer | One Night Stand | Ghost Writer | Notre Dame Cathedral Paris | Wedding

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:

Continuity: In the stylized sequence in which Xavier imagines he is following Célia in the "Street with Perfect Proportions," the shadows don't match: The shots on Celia show almost no shadows, but in shots on Xavier, the street is almost completely in shadows.

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:

Features L'auberge espagnole (2002)

Soundtrack:

Te Deum

Different than part 1, and underrated.

Like a lot of other people, I went to the cinema to watch part 2 of L'Auberge espagnole. That one was a light, fun movie. It had some meaningful thoughts in it, but overall it was pretty light. However I got something different. Part 2 is a lot deeper in my opinion. It's still entertaining, there are many funny parts. The plot develops quite slowly though, too slow for some people in fact. I'm not one of those, I liked the movie. If you're not against slower drama/romance, you'll probably appreciate it too. It has got artistic scenes, taking a step further in this aspect as well. Overall, it deals with how love works, and with the choices that young people have to make. Shall they chase new partners in order to find the perfect one, or rather settle down? All of this with a fresh, entertaining, and realistic approach - to think of it, I had a similar feeling after I had finished watching Sideways.

Oh I almost forgot - the music is amazing. And Kelly Reilly - you are so hot. A lot better looking than the girl who played the dream girl in fact. :)