Russian Dolls - Pot Luck 2 Reviews

Enjoyable but pales in comparison to Pot Luck

When hearing that there was to be a sequal to Pot Luck (L'auberge Espangol) I was very dubious as in my eyes it could either be a completely new bunch of students entering the Erasmus programme or following the life of the lead Xavier; neither of which sounded to me like a desrved follow up to the brilliant Pot Luck (which came at a very pertinant time in my life). I am pleased to say that Russian Dolls is not simply a sequal, in the sense that it's the same elements used in an extension of the story the new element being Xavier's surreal asides which I felt brightened the film and showed origionality - which in a sequal is a rare event. There is, however, still the problem of diminishing returns - mainly in the aspect that the viewer is no longer raring for the leads to succed, as instead of pursuing the goals they had in university they just bumble along with their lives without any obvious direction. Also alot of the great dynamic of the many interacting cultures is gone replaced by Xavier's flat hopping through just a couple of his old flat mates.

An enjoayable watch but nothing on the origional.

Top notch Klapisch

An excellent follow-up to the original - we find all the main characters 5 years older and wiser - Klapisch deepens his study of what it means to be Europe and European and also what it means to be 'looking for love' for Xavier's generation. Insightful, perfectly-paced and very, very funny. And full of gorgeous women! Romain Duris had a lot of fun filming this I think...

better in every way

charming, disarming, surreal and, at times, very, very real. i was so pleased to enjoy this after 'pot luck' which was 'nice' but 'slight'.

this had more meat and reminded me of the after 'before sunrise/sunset' set of movies. kelly reilly is a joy to watch and the story is touching & tender at every turn - just give it a try if you liked the first one, some have been dissapointed but i was not dissapointed.

AMAZING!!!!

fantastic movie, after l'auberge espagnol it is wonderfull to see a number 2 that is as good or even better than the number one and see the evolution of the caracters...real love life that we all experienced one way or another and is really about our generation!

very enjoyable

Less around european stereotypes than the first one. Some very funny moments, i had tears in my eyes in parts.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Enjoyable

I actually preferred this to Pot Luck. I liked both films but this had the edge for me at least. Romain Duris is always watchable and his take on life and how it appears to be failing to unfold for him in a far from ideal way is entertaining and extremely funny. At times marvellously intelligent and surreal, I would recommend taking a look at this film if you enjoyed the first one, but even if you havent seen Pot Luck it still stands as a good spend of your time in its own right.

Totally French

A very entertaining and quirky film, very enjoyable, funny, thought stirring. Thouroughly enjoyed this film. I would watch it again!

a breath of fresh air!

as funny and light as L'auberge Espagnole

it is our life

It is not as good as the first part of this story: l'auberge espagnole. But it still talks to all the expats in the world. If you are not from England and you have come to this country when you were about 20 years old and have shared a flat with people from all over the world, you will see yourself in this movie. It's like Friends but in more realistic... well kind of. At least they are not all rich and beautiful, and they don't go to central perk to have a litre of cappuccino every day. enjoy!

Can't live up to Pot Luck

I loved the first one, Pot Luck. For me it's a bit of a cult movie. So this follow-up left me cold. I couldn't relate to the characters. It's still a watchable movie but don't expect the same vibe.