Matt Oakes Silver Screen Riot Oct 15, 2026 B+

It's just a wonder something so fleet-footed, impractically sunny, and self-confident can still be so intoxicating and winning.

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Bernard Boo Way Too Indie Apr 15, 2019 6.7/10

Despite a painful lack of narrative originality, Populaire's peppy charm, game cast, and spectacular bubblegum imagery save the day and make it fun, at least.

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Matthew Bond The Mail on Sunday (UK) Oct 31, 2017 2/5

Nothing quite goes according to plan in a film that is too long and needs a funnier script but is partially rescued by the screen charm of Duris and Franois.

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Ann Lee metro.co.uk Sep 5, 2017 3/5

It takes a while to get going and the constant clack, clack, clacking can start to grate but Populaire is a warm and stylish film with plenty of polished charm.

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Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) Oct 10, 2013 4/5

A clever movie of considerable wit and charm. Its only fault is that it could have been a bit shorter and benefitted from the trim. Still, it's time well spent.

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Joe Williams St. Louis Post-Dispatch Sep 26, 2013 2.5/4

It's neatly formatted, but if there's a message in the margins of this manuscript, "Populaire" doesn't spell it out.

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Kelly Vance East Bay Express Sep 26, 2013

There is really no film to compare it to.

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Matt Pais RedEye Sep 23, 2013 2.5/4

After all those words pounded onto the typewriter, this throwback finds a way to capture the big L in any language.

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Jason Best Movie Talk Sep 22, 2013

As if Mad Men had never happened, French romantic comedy Populaire takes a breezy, light-hearted approach to the late-1950s world of brooding male bosses and their demurely pretty secretaries.

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Moira MacDonald Seattle Times Sep 19, 2013 2.5/4

As romantic comedy it's uneven, but as an ode to something long gone, "Populaire" hits the right notes.

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Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer Sep 19, 2013 3/4

Even when there's tragedy around the turn, it doesn't matter. Populaire plays like a musical - you expect anyone, at any time, to break into song.

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Chris Hewitt St. Paul Pioneer Press Sep 19, 2013 1.5/4

It works on a design porn level, but that's about it.

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Brian Orndorf Blu-ray.com Sep 18, 2013 B+

It's a gorgeous picture that's highly amusing, allowing viewers to lose themselves in the fantasy of love, rivalry, and typing. Yes, typing. Any film that can make typewriters as cool as hot rods deserves a look.

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Bruce Ingram Chicago Sun-Times Sep 13, 2013 3/4

[Populaire] does run through the expected paces with admirable style, with a glossy, Technicolor production design that sometimes makes it seem it might have been made in the '50s, not just set there.

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Todd Jorgenson Cinemalogue Sep 13, 2013

There's a breezy throwback quality that adds a modest level of amusement and visual flair to this otherwise predictable French romantic comedy.

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James Verniere Boston Herald Sep 13, 2013 B

A nice throwback, but less typing, please.

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Michael O'Sullivan Washington Post Sep 12, 2013 3/4

Roinsard, who wrote his feature debut with Daniel Presley and Romain Compingt, is unabashedly in love with cheesy, cornball sentiment, which he dusts off and polishes to a fair-thee-well.

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Walter V. Addiego San Francisco Chronicle Sep 12, 2013 3/4

Is this remake really necessary? Maybe not, but to worry about that is to risk missing out on a lot of fun.

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Peter Keough Boston Globe Sep 12, 2013 2/4

Roinsard labors mightily to eke laughs and excitement out of '50s secretaries in Technicolor dresses, towering heels, and awkward hairdos hammering away at keyboards, with limited success.

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Dann Gire Chicago Daily Herald Sep 12, 2013

This first-time feature from director Regis Roinsard explodes with color and fun as it resurrects the spirit and fashions of those Rock Hudson/Doris Day movies from the 1950s.

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