Remember the Auberge Espagnole? Aah… the good
old days of being twenty some, abroad and confused,
when carelessness, idealism and disappointment were
our daily bread. Well, the good old days are not over,
as Cédric Klapisch seems to tell us in his sequel Russian
Dolls. They have changed for sure. Friends got married,
or pregnant, or both. Some moved far away, or disappeared;
others should have. Getting a job and a real life seems
to have become, somehow, a priority. But some things
will never change.
Romain Duris is back, more confused and more annoying
than ever. Friends, jobs, girlfriends, past and present,
apartment rentals and owners, one-night stands, family,
new responsibilities, all seems to collide for the better
and for the worse. The good thing is that it takes us
on a journey throughout Europe, on a tour of some of
the finest cities on the map. Saint Petersburg, London,
Paris… Some shots are, of course, unnecessary (never
mind the Eiffel Tower), but others are too good to miss.
If you have ever been a restless European traveler and
lover of trains, buses, and last-minute squatting deals,
you will definitely find yourself in this new movie,
as you might have found yourself in the Auberge Espagnole.
Definitely amused by “trans-frontier cosmopolitanism”
and the quirky situations arising when cultural differences
collide, Klapisch knows how to entertain with gusto.
With all the main characters reunited and Romain Duris,
in particular, as Xavier, one wonders if Cédric Klapisch
is following in François Truffaut’ steps with his favorite
actor Jean-Pierre Léaud, alias Antoine Doinel. As the
movie closes, we cannot help thinking that Xavier will
be back on the screen in another 5 years, still unhappy,
and still messing up one relationship after another.
Aah… the good old days.
