Letters
Lazy Sunday: Call My Agent
Call My Agent has been around for more than five years, but it’s suddenly The Thing everyone in my life is talking about—and everyone’s talking about it at the same time, and all in French.
Set in the completely ludicrous world of celebrity talent agents, it features real-life French movie stars (Isabelle Adjani, Juliette Binoche, Jean Reno, Isabelle Huppert … even not-so-French Sigourney Weaver shows up!) playing versions of themselves as clients of a Parisian talent agency.
I never know what any of the agents are talking about, partly because there’s a lot of conversation about “contracts” and “billing” but also because they’re doing it all in French, French, French and all the French talking is so fast that the subtitles can barely keep up (I’m 100% convinced that I’m missing out on some good old Gallic cursing, but I am taking some notes—phonetically—for further research).
Stars aside, though, it’s the agency characters that have me hooked. The first season wobbles around for a bit with a secret (and momentarily eyebrow-raising) father/daughter storyline but the show’s strength is as a workplace comedy: it’s genuinely funny and occasionally deliciously mean about office politics.
Don’t let the subtitles keep you from it. That magic thing happens where midway through the third episode, you’re convinced that you completely understand French and vous ne remarquerez même plus que vous lisez des sous-titres!
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You had me with the cast list on this one! How could it fail to be brilliant. I hope it’s available to view in the UK.
Most of the real-life stars only appear briefly (usually just a few scenes in a single episode, though a couple repeat), so don’t go in expecting a Towering Inferno-style non-stop cavalcade of celebrities. But by the end of the first season, it’s quite clear that the REAL star of the show is Camille Cottin, who plays Andréa — she’s just spectacular.
It’s brilliant—we’ve just binged the whole series and we’re still laughing. Enjoy!!
I loved this series. I’ve been binging so many foreign series with subtitles over the past six months and loving them all.
Its simple: you just keep knitting plain stockinette stitch while you keep reading the subtitles. My French never got better, but thats probably because I was laughing so much.
Thank goodness you’ve come up with this recommendation. I may be able to force myself out if my total immersion in your recommendation of yesterday, Aria Code. So much fantastic. Thank you
I accidentally stumbled on this show when it first came to the US & have recommended it to anyone who will listen. Delighted you are introducing it to an entirely new audience to these fabulous actors and wonderful writing!! For anyone who is interested in a wonderfully written & filmed, intense thriller, Thibault de Montalembert (Mathias) plays a completely different character in The Tunnel.
The Tunnel is great! I feel like European shows feel so much more real. Maybe because the actors are allowed to look like real people?
Good point. Our household has been watching “Trapped”, set in Iceland. There are a couple of dark scenes. (Which are too much for me; my fam knows I’ll fast forward through them.) But it’s wonderfully acted by people who look normal. And the title sequence & that scenery! Stunning!
Highly recommended. I watched the first season soon after it arrived on Netflix. Binged the most recent one. So sorry there will be no more seasons.
Even better if you can speak French. And yes, you are missing out on a lot of French cursing (putain is a favourite as is merde) – love it and the settings in (mostly) Paris.
I KNEW IT!
Yes, it’s great! Although I’ve been told in the last season the subtitles leave a lot out.
Just love this show. Such a great cast. Best episode (in my opinion) had Jean Dujardin as an actor unable to give up the persona of his last role and the disgusting coat that was his costume.
I just happened upon this series 2 days before reading this newsletter. I have only seen the first 2 episodes of season 1 and I am doling it out to savor my utter enjoyment of this show. Between the snappy repartee, the subtitles, the French language, I have had to pause and rewind a few times so I don’t miss a thing. I am already a fan.
Oh I am loving this too! Total escapism. The swearing is great but if you want EPIC French cursing, look for Spiral (Engrenages), a really gritty cop drama set in the bits of Paris you never see on tv. (TBH I’d ignore the first series, it’s got some odd bits in it…)
Engrenages! I’d totally forgotten about that show, it was great. Really interesting development of the characters, also, with (in my eyes) one shocking fall from grace and another very satisfying redemption. And that monumental red-haired actress whose name I can’t remember, who also shows up as a more minor character in another great French police drama called Les Temoins (Witnesses).