Russian Dolls

2005

2h 8m

Romance

Comedy

List

72%

47 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A struggling writer (Romain Duris) becomes involved with two women while juggling assignments in Paris.

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Critics Consensus

Like its predecessor L'Auberge Espagnole, Russian Dolls is charmingly breezy and light.

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Yann P

Very well filmed, following the characters of l'auberge Espagnole, On the surface a clever comedy with in depth questioning relating to personal relations

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A rare example of a sequel not ending up being a worse rendition of the original story. Actually 'Russian dolls' is only vaguely based on the first part of the trilogy, keeping some of the old characters in focus, but telling a completely new story in new setting, providing a fresh look at them growing up. The movie manages to capture that romantic feeling of the first decade of the century, not being silly at the same time.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Russian Dolls tells the continuing misadventures of the detestable Xavier, who was first introduced in The Spanish Apartment. It’s hard for me to say much that is positive about this film other than it has a cohesive plot and a few good actors. There are hints at some good B-stories in the film, mostly because there are other characters around Xavier who would be more enjoyable to watch. Yet we are forced to see this unpleasant man continue to make atrocious choices, and behave like a fool. Perhaps I can chalk up some of the first film to his youth and naivete, but here he is a full-grown adult continuing to make the same disgusting choices he made as a young man. He mistreats women, he cheats on them, and he views them as nothing more than objects to be used and tossed aside. There is one scene that summed up Russian Dolls for me. In a heart-wrenching moment Kelly Reilly delivers one of the most stirring and effective speeches you can imagine. It’s the kind of moment that caps off a romantic film where, through the power of words, it opens the door to redeem even a flawed man like our main character. And instead of striding through that door into a proper finale, he just stands there and watches it close. It was a perfect moment to show exactly why Xavier is such an irredeemable character, and one that probably doesn’t deserve a film trilogy made about him.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

05/09/19

Full Review

Audience Member

Uneven and overlong.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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camille l

Avait-on vraiment besoin de revoir Xavier après son année en Erasmus? Si l'idée est intéressante, force est de constater que le personnage interprété par Romain Duris manque moins que l'atmosphère du premier film, qui ne se trouve que dans la deuxième heure, après une terrible introduction, d'une longueur improbable. Quand Audrey Tautou et Cécile de France laissent place à Kevin Bishop et Kelly Reilly, Les Poupées Russes s'illuminent enfin et le film trouve enfin un peu d'intérêt et de rythme. Moins dans la comédie et plus dans l'introspection, Les Poupées Russes n'est pas un mauvais film, mais souffre cruellement de la comparaison avec son aîné. Dommage.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Rather enjoyable--more of the same from the characters of Auberge Espagnole--but the pandering attempts to involve all the previous characters in the story made the ending weak and the movie over-long. On top of that, the premise is kind of stupid: why are all these people reuniting for the wedding of the younger brother of their friend (a marginal character in the first film)? The first 90 minutes or so, I forgave a lot, and liked a lot, but in the end the film's a bit of a misfire that leaves a bad taste in your mouth, making you forget about its earlier promise.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

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Cédric Klapisch

Director

Romain Duris

Xavier Rousseau

Audrey Tautou

Martine

Cécile De France

Isabelle

Kelly Reilly

Wendy

Kevin Bishop

William

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Marta Barber

Miami Herald

The cast of renegades is as appealing as ever.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 1, 2006

Full Review

Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

For those who saw and loved L'Auberge Espagnole, Russian Dolls automatically becomes of interest, but writer-director Cedric Klapisch can't quite make the case for it as a stand-alone experience.

Rated: 2/4

Jul 21, 2006

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

Klapisch has made something deliciously close to a nature documentary about the young, the foolish, and the alive.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 21, 2006

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Jonathan Kiefer

Sacramento News & Review

Rated: 3/5

Aug 7, 2008

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Christopher Campbell

Cinematical

Anyone who loved L'Auberge Espagnole should at least like its sequel as something of a guilty fling.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 18, 2007

Full Review

David Noh

Film Journal International

His directorial hand is so handsomely assured and his cast so charming that it's easy to succumb to his let-me-entertain-you blandishments

Mar 1, 2007

Full Review

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Synopsis

A struggling writer (Romain Duris) becomes involved with two women while juggling assignments in Paris.

Director: Cédric Klapisch
Screenwriter: Cédric Klapisch
Production Co: Ce Qui Me Meut, Lunar Films, France 2 Cinema, StudioCanal
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 10, 2006
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 17, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $323.3K
Runtime: 2h 8m
Sound Mix: Dolby

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