An awkward girl from a small French town discovers she has an uncanny skill in speed typing. Soon thereafter she gets a secretarial job at an advertising agency. Impressed with her skills, her new boss enters her for a national speed typing contest. Love soon enters the mix, resulting in complications.This French romantic-comedy is one with a glossy and polished feel, one with an unashamedly nostalgic view of the 1950's. It's also one with a fairly typical plot trajectory for this kind of thing but I often find I am extremely forgiving of predictability in romantic-comedies so long as I care for the characters. And in this case both of the central roles are very well played by regular French leading man Romain Duris and, especially, Déborah François in a lovely turn as the central heroine. I found it quite easy getting on board with this pair and was very willing to forgive over-familiarity once again. It's essentially another version of the Pygmalion story, with Duris' older man trying to mould François into something special. The one area, of course, where the movie stands out is in centring the drama on the, hitherto very uncinematic sport of speed-typing. But, as with any well-written and acted film, it succeeds in presenting this somewhat niche activity like it was the FIFA World Cup final! And you know what? Movies aren't real life to begin with so ya just got to go with the flow and believe in them when you watch them as, otherwise, what would be the point? And I, for one was more than happy to spend time watching Déborah François type super-fast with a two-finger technique. I found this good-natured movie overall a very enjoyable one indeed, it was simple and affecting yet still delightfully quirky in its own unique way.

I went into this film with low hopes and came out pleasantly surprised. I suggest that you go into the film the same way that I did to increase your chances of getting similar satisfying result;)BriefyBeefyFilmSummary: This film is about a girl called Rose, her skill for typewriting and her relationship with her boss/trainer Louis. Louis is a mardy insurance man who struggles to emote because of fact that he's never 'won anything'. He also kind of regrets and dislikes some of the actions and outcomes that occurred in the past. Rose becomes Louis' secretary and she does a terrible job. Luckily Louis notices Rose' skill for typing and decides to pursue his chance of 'winning at something' by entering her in the regional typing competition. But is that really his true motive? I feel that this film could weirdly be best described as the french, romantic, 15 certificate 'Karate kid'. Louis taking the role of Miyagi and Rose taking the role of Daniel(just putting it out there Daniel and Miyagi do not partake in any form of mouth to mouth contact in the motion picture film 'The Karate Kid') This film was cute, stylistic and had a very optimistic story and message. There were also lots of good looking costumes and haircuts which gives the film bonus points from me.Whatever you do do't go into this film expecting some kind of major thrill or drama. Okay there are some minor stir ups but that doesn't count.The film surprisingly discusses a lot about feminism and equal rights with women. This gives it another bonus point because it displays the message in such an uncomfortable yet realistic and funny fashion. I kinda like this.The acting is okay, the characters are okay and their relationships are believable. The script was bizarre at times, funny at times and classic at times(if only it was all three at once throughout corr). niceynice7/10

One of the best recent romantic comedies! French cinema went somehow sideways after certain point in the 20th century, but this wonderful movie proved that it might flourish back again. Action happens in the 1950s, which is excellent for those, who keep dreaming about times when full skirts, record players and pastels were all the range. You get to see awesome cars of that decade, great interiors, etc. But most importantly - story is pretty interesting and not that predictable, which is quite an issue with romcoms. There are no corny jokes and it's a pretty pure, nice film with a strong female lead in it, showing that anything is possible if you work hard for it. If what you want an old-fashioned romcom Cinderella-style, you got it. That's the one.

Populaire (2012)A French comedy, set in the late 1950s, and centering around a typing championship? Yes, bizarre, and warm and funny. I liked it a lot.The star here is the completely delightful Deborah Francois, who is cast and who acts a bit like an Audrey Hepburn type, which is a total compliment. Not that Francois needs that kind of comparison—she takes on the task of learning to type with enormous focus and humble prowess. With two fingers. And she almost wins a competition that way. Enter the other star, a bigger name in France, Romain Duris. He's a comic oddball, meant to be very handsome but not a hunk (sorry Romain). He depends on his wry, underplayed humor to win the hearts of the females in each movie—and in the audience. He takes on Francois with the idea of teaching her to use all her fingers and maybe, with some serious athletic training, compete for the big time. At typing.It's a farce, but overflowing with charm. The sets and colors are wonderful per- 60s "gay" and light. French style. There is an ongoing critique built in (in a watery way) about how women in that era have typing as their ultimate goal. And typing for men. The irony (and falseness) are apparent.There is inevitably a troubled romance that gets stirred in the mix—and it's a classic mismatch made in heaven.In all, well done, funny, and smart. And styling right to the end with the big finale—well, I can't say where or why. See it.