The Second Act

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The Second Act

2024

1h 25m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

39 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Florence wants to introduce David, the man she is madly in love with, to her father Guillaume. However, David is not attracted to Florence and wants to get rid of her by pushing her into the arms of his friend Willy.

Critics Consensus

Anarchic to a fault but made with enough pleasingly satiric flair, The Second Act is not Quentin Dupieux's best nor his worst.

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Namrata Joshi

The New Indian Express

Dupieux is characteristically abrupt, absurd, eccentric, indulges in ingenuities, is playful with gags and anarchic with the material on hand.

Jul 10, 2024

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

The fun, however, can only last so long, and despite some giggle-worthy slapstick involving a nervous, shaking, wine-splashing waiter, The Second Act eventually moves into a slower, less ebullient gear.

Rated: 3/5

May 15, 2024

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Raphael Abraham

Financial Times

The Second Act, a soufflé-light meta-comedy that rises delightfully before collapsing somewhat without being fully cooked.

Rated: 3/5

May 15, 2024

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Sergi Sánchez

Fotogramas

...[The Second Act] is a hilarious satire that blends formal virtuosity, playful repetition, and the extraordinary work of the leading quartet into a reflection on the survival of cinema...[Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4/5

Apr 20, 2025

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Randy Meeks

Espinof

...The Second Act would have been a much more incisive and interesting short than the resulting film... [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3/5

Apr 15, 2025

Full Review

Luis Martínez

El Mundo (Spain)

Dupieux thus dares, without bitterness and avoiding any hint of a professorial tone, to discuss much of what his profession represents, and even cinema itself in general. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3/5

Apr 11, 2025

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Oleksii V

A classic Dupieux film, with his classic stylization and lovely recursions, but it still has fresh glaze

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/16/25

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Sergio A

The Second Act is an interesting and entertaining exercise; however, it would work better as a medium-length film. In trying to be a movie about movies, it loses precisely the spark that makes cinema great. It’s not a failed work, but it does come off as somewhat self-indulgent.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

Full Review

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Quentin Dupieux

Director

Léa Seydoux

Actor

Louis Garrel

Actor

Raphaël Quenard

Actor

Vincent Lindon

Actor

Manuel Guillot

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Synopsis

Florence wants to introduce David, the man she is madly in love with, to her father Guillaume. However, David is not attracted to Florence and wants to get rid of her by pushing her into the arms of his friend Willy.

Director: Quentin Dupieux
Producer: Hugo Sélignac
Screenwriter: Quentin Dupieux
Production Co: Chi-Fou-Mi Productions
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: French
Runtime: 1h 25m