Populaire – DVD review

Régis Roinsard 2012

Entertainment One

Right from the opening titles, Populaire hits you with candy-coloured nostalgia to evoke France in 1958. It’s not quite a Gallic Mad Men, although Romain Duris plays a Don Draper-ish boss, Louis, who is destined (you guessed it) to fall in love with his secretary Rose. But not before he coaches her for a speed-typing tournament that has all the tension of a Wimbledon final.

Usually seen in darker roles, Déborah François is cast against, er, type as the secretary with lightning-fast fingers. The love story is predictable but the period detail is delightful.