Looking at the protagonists of "Populaire", one cannot help being reminded of the Higgin-Doolittle syndrome. Is his passion purely for her success or rather for his own success through her? Is this deeply rooted romance or fleeting infatuation? But let's not carry the parallel too far. While she is close enough to Eliza Doolittle, humble grass-root origin and fiery defiance and all, he is far less of a Henry Higgins. And after all, "Populaire", nowhere near to matching wit and substance with "Pygmalion", is a colorful and impeccably styled romantic comedy, and a tad over-contrived.
The two parallel, inseparable plot lines are small town girl Rose Pamphyle's success story in typing contests and her romance with boss and mentor middle-class businessman Louis Echard. A small diversion, but an interesting subplot, is the latter's relationship with former girlfriend Marie who is now a wife and mother, being married to is good friend Bob, an American.
The movie is predictable, but entertaining nonetheless. The athletic-event-look-alike competitions provide the momentum as well as excitement, escalating from local (Normandy), national (France) to a world championship contest held in New York. The head-to-head slugging out in the finals can match blow-for-blow the best of the pugilistic movies, with the brutal slap of the typewriter carriage return levers as the ever effective motif. The caliber of cinematography and art direction is evidenced by Cesar nominations and there is one scene that pays special tribute to Hitchcock's "Vertigo".
The appeal of the romance plot line rests heavily on Deborah Francois. I have seen her in two other movies, Cannes winner "L'enfant" (2005) and "La tourneuse de pages" (2006), in two entirely different and challenging roles. By comparison, "Populaire" is actually easier work. The role, while cliché, ironically brings out Francois's irresistible natural charm. Some mention Audrey Tautou, to which I have only this to say: if Francois were born a decade earlier, there would be no Tautou.
The two parallel, inseparable plot lines are small town girl Rose Pamphyle's success story in typing contests and her romance with boss and mentor middle-class businessman Louis Echard. A small diversion, but an interesting subplot, is the latter's relationship with former girlfriend Marie who is now a wife and mother, being married to is good friend Bob, an American.
The movie is predictable, but entertaining nonetheless. The athletic-event-look-alike competitions provide the momentum as well as excitement, escalating from local (Normandy), national (France) to a world championship contest held in New York. The head-to-head slugging out in the finals can match blow-for-blow the best of the pugilistic movies, with the brutal slap of the typewriter carriage return levers as the ever effective motif. The caliber of cinematography and art direction is evidenced by Cesar nominations and there is one scene that pays special tribute to Hitchcock's "Vertigo".
The appeal of the romance plot line rests heavily on Deborah Francois. I have seen her in two other movies, Cannes winner "L'enfant" (2005) and "La tourneuse de pages" (2006), in two entirely different and challenging roles. By comparison, "Populaire" is actually easier work. The role, while cliché, ironically brings out Francois's irresistible natural charm. Some mention Audrey Tautou, to which I have only this to say: if Francois were born a decade earlier, there would be no Tautou.