Russian Dolls (2005)

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

Director:

Cédric Klapisch

Writer:

Cédric Klapisch

Stars:

Romain Duris, Kelly Reilly, Audrey Tautou

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Romain Duris	...	Xavier Rousseau
Kelly Reilly	...	Wendy
Audrey Tautou	...	Martine
Cécile de France	...	Isabelle (as Cécile De France)
Kevin Bishop	...	William
Evguenya Obraztsova	...	Natacha
Irene Montalà	...	Neus
Gary Love	...	Edward
Lucy Gordon	...	Celia Shelburn
Aïssa Maïga	...	Kassia
Martine Demaret	...	Mère Xavier
Pierre Cassignard	...	Platane
Olivier Saladin	...	Gérard
Pierre Gérald	...	Grand-père
Zinedine Soualem	...	M. Boubaker

Storyline

Xavier is now thirty. No longer a student, he is not yet a well-balanced, fulfilled adult either. His career is unsatisfying: Far from being the renowned novelist he aimed to be he must be content with little jobs such as reporter or ghost writer. His greatest "achievement" in "literature" is his collaboration to the script of a corny TV soap! His sentimental life is not much better, rhythmed by one night stands and unfinished romances. It looks as if when he seduces a woman beautiful outside and inside such as Kassia or Wendy he can't keep them. Will he ever bring his life into focus?

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Plot Keywords:

male frontal nudity | female nudity | public nudity | female frontal nudity | female full frontal nudity | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The second instalment of a trilogy written and directed by Cédric Klapisch, which follows the journey of Xavier from student to family man. The first chapter is the movie "L'auberge espagnole", released in 2002, and the final chapter is "Casse-tête chinois", released in 2013.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Xavier: If I think about all the girls I've known or slept with or just desired, they're like a bunch of Russian dolls. We spend our lives playing the game dying to know who'll be the last, the teeny-tiny one hidden inside all the others. You can't just get to her right away. You have to follow the progression. You have to open them one by one wondering, "Is she the last one?"

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Crazy Credits

During the ending credits there is a scene where Wendy is putting the last piece of the puzzle.

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Connections

Features L'auberge espagnole (2002)

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Soundtracks

Disco King
Performed and Written by Olivier Montel

User Reviews

Fairly astonishing and ambitious fun...a fast one!

Russian Dolls (2005)

You have to like such an inventive, fast, witty, and all the same convincing movie. This is funny in that fast, off the wall way "Amelie" was funny, though here I think it gets another level of complexity that not only makes you pay attention, but rewards your attention.

Leading man Romain Duris is subtle and charming (and what American girls would call "cute"), and he the thread through time in a long multi-tasking flashback with lots of editing and framing liberties. He seems to fall in love but not know what love is. He is a struggling writer who finds enough success to work on scripts that also become part of the movie. Though we start firmly in Paris, the story takes us many times to London, and to Russia, which makes for a tale of four cities in the best way.

The whole cast is pretty amazing, both comic and touching and convincing at the same time. People are chic and cool but flawed and quirky, too. And the cast is large, with a final party scene that brings most of them together (and for a little too long). It's a love story, and a good one.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [United States]

Country:

France UK

Language:

French Russian English Spanish Italian

Release Date:

15 June 2005 (France)

Also Known As:

Russian Dolls

Filming Locations:

Chalcot Road, Primrose Hill, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$12,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,512, 14 May 2006

Gross USA:

$326,095

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,727,301

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lunar Films, StudioCanal, France 2 (FR2)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1