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OK, i loved L'auberge Espagnole so my expectations were high. I didn't know what to expect even though after having read some of the reviews and opinions on here i knew i was in for some good 2 hours.

And it really was good. The good thing about it is that it's not a remake of the first one. While some will probably miss the whole mixing of nationalities, we can enjoy the fact that the characters are more developed, the story is in the continuity of the first one, and some references are made to L'auberge, but they seem natural.

The girls are beautiful,(Xavier is a really lucky guy), the English girl playing Wendy is even more beautiful than in the first one and the fact that we travel so much during this film is the cherry on the cake.

For a very good moment, go see this one.

In the same way that L'Auberge Espagnole dealt with the difficulties of career, school, and growing up in general, Russian Dolls deals with love and growing older. I think the great thing about both of these movies is that so many people can look at these characters- especially Xavier- and say, "Yes! I'm not the only one going through this stuff then!" During both movies there were certain phrases and quotes that made me stop and say, "Wow! That is dead on!" Like in L'Auberge when Xavier talks about how life seems less complicated for everybody else, more organized. Or the final line in Russian Dolls about the search for that special someone. Great movies, entertaining, but most of all they speak to those of us who are still trying to figure it all out!

So, here's one of the most anticipated movies of the year 2005 and the sequel to one of the biggest French hits in 2002: "l'Auberge Espagnole" which also acts as a commendable and valuable ambassador for French cinema abroad, "les Poupees Russes".

Lucid, the director Cédric Klapisch didn't opt for "l'Auberge Espagnole 2". Anyway one can't renew the Erasmus stay (which I am currently experiencing!) a second time. "Les Poupees Russes" has nothing in common with the corny sequels that Hollwood cinema has been cramming us for years. And as Francis Veber once said: "what is a sequel? It's generally a shoddy remake of the original movie". So Cédric Klapisch finds again his character of Xavier and undertook to tell his life in his early thirties. Five years after his experience as an Erasmus student in Spain, he is back. He had said in the first movie:"my life has always been a mess and will always be...". These words appear to be visionary. His life is far from satisfying him: he has become a writer but he has to pen biographies of celebrities and scenarios for mawkish sitcoms. His private life is hardly better: he struggles hard to find the perfect girl though his charismatic part. In short, it's a rather murky life and have a look at the cover of the film. It depicts Xavier who moves forward, with a puzzled air. He is surrounded by pretty girls. Which one is the the perfect one? And anyway, does the perfect girl exist? And why do we have to love just one girl and not several ones. These are some the questions that Klapisch raises and doesn't bring a definitive answer to them. It's up to the audience to think about them on account of Klapisch's piece of work.

If Klapisch had built "l'Auberge Espagnole" from start to finish with as a source, his memories of cinema student in New York and her sister's who lived one year in Spain with other European fellows under the same roof, here one has to look in Truffaut's filmography for his credentials, more specifically the Antoine Doinel saga. Truffaut had shot in a series of films, the evolution of his favorite hero in his professional and private life. With "les Poupees Russes", it seems that we also have this beginning of device with so far better results for I am not really a Truffaut devotee. Would Xavier be the Antoine Doinel of the 2000's? Anything goes... Klapisch has his own trademark to shot the life or rather the various difficulties of his main figure and one is happy to realize that his film writing still works wonders. "Les Poupees Russes" looks like a sequel of a little maladjusted play lets in which Xavier tries to order a life eventually beyond his control. These play lets encompass a great thickness in their writing and a visual richness, the whole with a dash of humor and nostalgia. Their chief force is honesty: a substantial number of situations rings true and it's highly likely that the viewer has already known some of the filmed circumstances. And there's always this typical feature from the director to make a trite situation a dense one.

One word about the cast: it's a topnotch one. Romain Duris shines in a part that was tailor-made for him. He has never been so good with Klapisch. All his European sidekicks are present with a special mention to Kelly Reilly and Kevin Bishop as William, the future married in a more subdued part than in "l'Auberge Espagnole". He has found a soul mate and matured in spite of an explosive apparition: "Hello Paris! Bonjour Paris!".

After the bitter memory left by Klapisch's adventure in the film noir with "Ni Pour Ni Contre (Bien Au Contraire), 2003", the year 2005 saw him on clover again with a forte he had tapped in "le Péril Jeune" (1994): a right chronicle on young people of different ages and an accurate appraisal of their feelings. "Les Poupees Russes" constitutes the second opus of a more than estimable duo. Will there be a third chapter on Xavier's life?

I like this movie quite a bit. I think the movie has succeeded in depicting the life, the love that intertwines with it, the things that make us different, and those that transcend our cultural and personal differences.

When I first saw L'auberge espagnole, I was embarking on an education journey that would span two continents in the cohort of people from all around the world. L'auberge espagnole was a great prequel to my experience.

In this sequel named "Les Poupées Russes", I find myself again firmly planted in the midst of the characters. In his thirties, Xavier and others' confused relationships reflect a bewilderment in that age group, as some choose to settle down, and some continue to seek the ephemeral.

As for national boundaries, it is interesting that the story now depicts a different set of frontiers for Europe (before the recent constitutional crisis), the UK and Russia. The countries are very different but the people are very similar if you let look beneath the surface. Everyone is looking for a better life with love and happiness.

Ultimately, what makes it all work is what William has done in the movie. We need to make an effort, whether in life or in love, to rise above the walls separating us, perceived or real.

As for the individual characters, Wendy has indeed become quite a fox. If I were Xaiver, I am not sure I would be that interested in Celia. Your mileage may vary, of course. :) Cheers, and enjoy the movie.

When I decided to watch this movie in the cinema with one of my friends, I didn't really know anything about it. All I knew about this film was what he told me. He said that it was directed by the man who made "L'Auberge espagnole", which he liked a lot, but he didn't think that this movie would be a sequel to that one and I believed him. If I had known that it was a sequel, I would probably not have given it a try, because in my opinion there are only few sequels worth a watch and when you haven't seen the first one, it's almost always impossible to know what exactly they are talking about. But despite what we thought, this was a sequel.

Even though I hadn't seen the first movie, I could easily understand the story. Xavier is about to celebrate his thirtieth birthday and he is on a turning point in his life. He's no longer a student, but he hasn't yet got a regular adult life either. He's single, works as a reporter and ghost writer instead of being a renowned novelist,... and to make things worse, his love life is a gigantic mess. He's afraid of not finding the right one, because all he has are unfinished romances and one night stands. When he finally finds a girl that he likes, he always believes that there is something better out there and not knowing when to stop looking for more, he is unable to keep them with him...

I really liked this movie a lot and I guess there is a very good explanation for it. When watching this movie I had the feeling that it was me they were talking about. I'm a bit too much like Xavier than what I sometimes would like to admit. I'm in my late twenties, haven't got a terrific job, I'm still single, sometimes don't feel ready for the steady adult life, but still want to enjoy my youth... Even the friends from all over Europe are the same since I've studied in a similar project. But even when you can't completely identify yourself with one of the characters, I believe there is something good in it for everyone. The story on itself is very well written and thanks to the different places never feels the same. They have filmed in Paris, Saint-Petersburg and London and those three cities and the situations that take place there are different enough to keep you interested from the beginning until the end. Next to the story, this movie also offers some very fine acting by all the actors, but what else can you expect from people like Audrey Tatou, Cécile de France,...

As a conclusion I would like to say that everybody who is about to turn thirty will probably like it, but even the others will find enough good and interesting things in this movie. There is some very intelligent humor, a lot of fine acting and a lack of too many romantic movie clichés to be found in it. And although I'm sure it will never become a very popular movie (there were only 12 people in the audience when I went to see it on a Sunday evening), I'm sure that those who will give it a try, will not regret it. I know I didn't, I even give this movie a 9/10. If I had seen the first movie and understood from the beginning what was going on, it might even have been a 10/10. This movie should be cherished by all.

When I first caught "L'auberge espagnole", the predecessor to "Les poupées russes", on TV, I was in a bad mood. The movie, however, cheered me up so much, I fell in love with it, even more so, when years later I practically lived it on my own Erasmus semester. The bar was set up high for the sequel.

"Les poupées russes" doesn't really compare to the first part. The setting is different. Whereas in the original people from all over the world came together in Barcelona, this time Xavier goes to a lot of different locations (Paris, London, St. Petersburg, Moscow). Apart from Xavier, the focus of the story lies on people who were only side characters in "L'auberge espagnole" (Wendy, Martine, Isabelle, Kevin), but there stories don't necessarily go anywhere. For instance, we only get glimpses of where Martine and Xavier's mother are in their (love) lives without that ever resolving into anything. That's not a bad thing, but it makes "Les poupées russes" seem disjointed, as if it didn't have one continuous plot, but is a mere sequence of individual scenes.

Another thing that took me out of the movie, is the way the characters talk. It seems highly unnatural at times, but it may have to do with the fact that I watched the German dubbed version. I'd love to go back and see the original version with subtitles, as "L'auberge espagnole" was also much better that way.

However, what cannot be excused by translation is the movie's visual, off key humor, that really sometimes misses the mark this time around. When Xavier literally turns into a piper to lure employers into believing him, it's just not very funny. The same goes for scenes, in which he wears a dress, gets beat up by a lesbian or introduces his make-believe-fiancée to his grandpa. Wacky little fantasy moments do work here and there, but more often than not, they seem forced into the movie to match the style of the original.

One thing that I always liked about Xavier, is that he can be a selfish jerk at times, but still isn't treated as the bad guy in the story. That to me shows a differentiated, less clichéd idea of man on the filmmaker's part. It makes it easier to identify with the character. I'm not entirely satisfied with how Xavier's missteps where treated this time. Actually, thinking back I found it highly unrealistic that the doctor in part one forgave him so easily for sleeping with his wife. Much the same way, Xavier is forgiven this time, quickly and without explanation the movie just rushes to its end.

"Les poupées russes" is not entirely successful, and because of the aforementioned lack of storyline, it does drag on a bit. However, it is great to see how Xavier's life has continued after the first movie. "Les poupées russes" feels like a companion piece to its predecessor, a bit like "Before Sunset" was to "Before Sunrise". As in that franchise, the filmmakers could get away with another sequel, because these movies dependent on their characters more than on story.

Hi there ! I saw Les Poupées Russes yesterday, and first of all : ouch ! my poor eyes were stricken by all these beautiful girls bursting the screen A.Tautou, C. De France, K. Reilly etc... OK let's stay cool and let's describe this movie. I'll do it short : it's about love ! love and what it means for us, mere humans, perpetually lost in the whirlwind of these damn feelings we made up... Humm i don't want to spoil the story, but let me tell you that when you come out the theaters, you'll understand why this movie's called " Russian dolls" ^^ Xavier's life is a mess, he is us ! us in front of life's dilemma : who to love and why... The Spooky band ( i just made that name up, don't bother searching )is back, even if certain characters do only figuration, sort of " i put this one too in the movie". Some scenes denote a very intelligent humour. Of course, the movie does not avoid "love-clichés", but they are quite rare and it deserves to have l"Auberge Espagnole" as a father. Voilà ! Merci encore mister Klapisch. I gave that movie a 10.

( Sorry for my poor English ^^)

Like a lot of other people, I went to the cinema to watch part 2 of L'Auberge espagnole. That one was a light, fun movie. It had some meaningful thoughts in it, but overall it was pretty light. However I got something different. Part 2 is a lot deeper in my opinion. It's still entertaining, there are many funny parts. The plot develops quite slowly though, too slow for some people in fact. I'm not one of those, I liked the movie. If you're not against slower drama/romance, you'll probably appreciate it too. It has got artistic scenes, taking a step further in this aspect as well. Overall, it deals with how love works, and with the choices that young people have to make. Shall they chase new partners in order to find the perfect one, or rather settle down? All of this with a fresh, entertaining, and realistic approach - to think of it, I had a similar feeling after I had finished watching Sideways.

Oh I almost forgot - the music is amazing. And Kelly Reilly - you are so hot. A lot better looking than the girl who played the dream girl in fact. :)

Somebody reviewed this film earlier and called it 'totally awesome'. Somehow, that was appropriate. This is EXACTLY the kind of film that appeals to people who use the word 'awesome' to describe everything from car crashes to runaway squirrels.

I'm past middle age, and should be ashamed of myself for even watching this 'confection,' which reminded me of a VERY long PG version of the TV show Friends, and, like, we all know that show is, like, so totally awesome, ah, like.

I've seen variations on this 'plot' (??) roughly six thousand times over the past ten years -- talented guys (they're ALWAYS talented guys: usually writers; no menial slapheads in dead-end jobs need apply) who just can't decide if they love X,Y, or Z, and X,Y, or Z can't decide if they love A,B, or C. Meanwhile, lesbians or gay men keep popping in and out along the way, accompanied by estranged parents who magically seem to end up back together after years of hating each other. In short, this film is driven by formula (and profit); it is designed to attract the optimum number of audiences, irrespective of age, gender or sexual orientation.

Giveth unto me a break.

Russian Dolls is laughable because of the hysteria over the subject matter: that is, the whole meaning of human existence amounts to whether or not you're going to find Mr. or Ms. Right. Forget Socratic enquiry or the guru on the mountain: life is a titanic struggle between testosterone and estrogen. Bernard Shaw's famous line ('youth is a wonderful thing; too bad it's wasted on the young') is on full display in this movie.

The massive computer dating racket (sorry, industry?) is clogged with miserable people who thought they found 'love' in their 20s. Inevitably, they married and shortly thereafter found this 'love' was actually just a bad case of overheated loins. Unbridled lust is not a reliable indicator of the hopelessly complex nature of 'love,' but when you watch movies like Russian Dolls, you'd think it was.

This is ostensibly a French movie, but it very much resembles what is pumped out of the Hollywood factory about once a week on average (or is it just my imagination?). What Russian Dolls DOES offer that's out of the ordinary is some terrific post-card scenery (London, Barcelona, St. Petersburg, Paris).

Anchoring this pleasant fluff (it really IS pleasant; stupid, but pleasant) is Romain Duris, who perfectly fits the central casting requirement of the hapless hero who just can't seem to get it together. Think of a Gallic version of Friends' David Schwimmer. The problem with Duris (and many other current actors like him) is that he's playing a 'type' that has been played countless times before. Couldn't an actor just sleep-walk through this part? Duris is a likable (maybe even lovable) clod, but I'm not sure about his acting skills. I just saw him in the 2007 French film Moliere, and somebody should file a lawsuit for criminal miscasting.

The dialogue in Russian Dolls is pretty pedestrian (actually, unintentionally hilarious), but overall the thing that really irritated me was the length. It just wouldn't stop. At 2 hours, 5 minutes on my clock, I was near the breaking point before it mercifully wrapped up and went home. It really shouldn't take more than, say, 80 minutes to tell this story, which has been told many, many, many times before. In essence, it's really just a dressed-up, extended (and expensive) version of a sitcom episode.

Other than all of the above, Russian Dolls is, like, you know, like, totally awesome. Ah, dude.

adventures. friendship. love/hate/words/choices/questions/meetings/a ballerina.another "L'Auberge espagnole". same Romain Duris. new versions of life lessons. in a single word, another chapter of an old story. not boring, not sensational, not interesting or strange. the image of Europe is more small. the feeling of Xavier are on top. and the result is not bad but the charm of first movie is enough. in this case, ambition to tell a profound tale is too much. complicated options, the life as storm , a nudity scene on street, in night, in desperate run, the mixture of a Russian character, the fight between past and present, all is a fragile huge construction. but the good intentions are almost perfect refuge. so, a nice movie. about friendship, love, choices, a wedding, few drops of feelings.

Roman Duris returns for the sequel to his famous Erasmus themed film 'L'Auberge Espagnole' where he meets up with the gang again to celebrate the wedding of William - his annoying brother-in-law (Kevin Bishop before he made it big) who was one of the stars of the first film - he has somehow managed to win the hand of a very beautiful Russian ballerina and they all converge on St Petersburg which is where the film kinda flounders.

In 'L'Auberge Espagnole' Barcelona is the star of the film and though Xavier (played by the very talented Roman Duris) is once again the main protagonist - the character itself is nowhere near interesting or likeable enough to carry the film on his puny shoulders - Xavier is an unlikeable, shallow and selfish individual and basically, do we care what happens to Xavier? Not really and though St Petersburg is a beautiful and interesting city - it's not the centrepiece of the film like Barcelona was in the first film - they are there for a wedding, not to navigate their lives through a Russian lens.

The problem with basically the majority of the characters is that they're pompous, annoying or uptight - not one of them are likeable in any way but when they were together in a crowded apartment in Barcelona - their magic worked wonders but this films falls flat. It's not a bad film and on the right day can be quite good but if you're expecting it to be as good as the first instalment, you're in for a disappointment.

Russian Dolls a.k.a Les Poupées russes is the sequel to the first film The Spanish Apartment directed by Cedric Klapisch. And it is well made, a good continuation to the first film.

We follow the main character Xavier, as he's reuniting with his friends from Barcelona five years after the events of the first film. During the plot, he is struggling both with his work as a writer and his love life.

The story continues focusing on the characters struggles and pressure in life, as it did during the events of the first movie. Even though The characters are not as young as they were, which was an element important enough to make younger audience identify with. The movie does center around more mature problems in life. An element important to make adults identify with.

Xavier's whole romance saga keeps going on in the sequel. Yet I'm sure despite the ending. It will still keep going on. Xavier throughout the story changes romances and girlfriends like clothes. He even hooks up with his friend from Barcelona Wendy, which to me was weird and a bit unnecessary because I always saw them as just close friends who can tell each other everything.

Overall, as I was happy with the first film, so I am with the second. I loved the reunion that was made with all the characters and sympathized with the joy that was put out in the scene. Good work and continuation of the story I learned to love.

Russian Dolls (2005)

You have to like such an inventive, fast, witty, and all the same convincing movie. This is funny in that fast, off the wall way "Amelie" was funny, though here I think it gets another level of complexity that not only makes you pay attention, but rewards your attention.

Leading man Romain Duris is subtle and charming (and what American girls would call "cute"), and he the thread through time in a long multi-tasking flashback with lots of editing and framing liberties. He seems to fall in love but not know what love is. He is a struggling writer who finds enough success to work on scripts that also become part of the movie. Though we start firmly in Paris, the story takes us many times to London, and to Russia, which makes for a tale of four cities in the best way.

The whole cast is pretty amazing, both comic and touching and convincing at the same time. People are chic and cool but flawed and quirky, too. And the cast is large, with a final party scene that brings most of them together (and for a little too long). It's a love story, and a good one.

We enjoyed this film and are planning on going back again. It was a good film about modern romance. It has a lot of depth. The story was good, and the editing was great, some visual treats.

The story covers a lot of ground but is very well paced,typified by the train going back and forth between London and Paris. Xavier, like many of the characters is experiencing love on many levels, not understanding everything that he is going through, and who hasn't experienced that! Sometimes we search for love, sometimes, like for William and Natacha you just know right away.

There were many great visual moments, but certainly there was one of the best "hand holding" scene's in a movie. The scene of Xavier and Wendy working in the library together was a wonderful visual ballet between two people working together. There were a lot of those moments in this film, that make us want to go back and see it again.

Even though the film is s sequel it stands very well on it's own.

We enjoyed, we hope you do too.

Xavier is 30 years old. He became a writer but seems a little lost. He is trying hard to settle and having one love adventure after another thoughtlessly. For a scenario writing job, he goes to London to work in collaboration with Wendy.

After the "Auberge Espagnole", Cédric Klapisch shows his talents again directing great actors such as Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou and Kelly Reilly.

When the movie was over, I thought that it was one of the best love stories I've ever seen. Each situation makes us think about ourselves and our own problems.

If "L'Auberge espagnole" was" Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship," "Russian Dolls" is "Wilhelm Meister's Travels." As someone who has actually suffered through those novels, which have to be among the dullest ever written, I can appreciate these modern film renditions, both of which convey the same basic points and are far better to sit through.

A point worth considering, one that was hammered home with the architectural analogy, is that the ideal woman is not a woman, but art itself, something Goethe referred to as the "eternal feminine."

These movies are smarter than they're given credit for. They allude not only to a cosmopolitanism crudely expressed in the term globalization, but also to a cosmopolitanism at the heart of modern Europe, one that Goethe recognized first if not best.

The first one,"L'auberge espagnole" (The Spanish apartment), was really good. It belongs to the French movies which must be in a your DVD collect. But "Les poupées russes" (The Russian Dolls) is even better. WOW! Romain Duris is still great in it, and like in The Spanish apartment, what makes this movie great is: you easily put yourself in the story. You think that this could happen to you, and sometimes you say "It's exactly me, it's exactly what happened to me, it's exactly how I feel like..." Well, When watching this movie I had the feeling that it was me they were talking about. And Cédric Klapish directed it, so... As "L'Auberge espagnole" took place principally in Barcelona (Spain), "Les poupées russes" takes place in Paris, London and St-Petersburg.

So, you have to see it: it's just great!

Oh, one more thing, I forgot to tell you that in "The Russian Dolls", Kelly Reilly (who plays Wendy) is great: she acts so well and she is meant for playing Wendy: she is beautiful, clever and has a lot of charm. I am sure she is the one who can make French liking (perhaps loving!) England.

Yes it is a sequel, but it is not necessary to have seen "L'auberge espagnole" to see "The Russian dolls". I promise, anyone you saw it loves it...