My thoughts about movies and TV shows I've been watching

See also my blog on books: Elliot's Reading

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

A rare miniseries that gets better w/ each season: Call My Agent

Major props to the French miniseries Call My Agent (Dix pour Cent, in France) Season 3, which is the rare project that seems to get better with each season: We know more about the characters, of course, and we watch them interact and face off against one another in many ways through many dimensions of office intrigue and sexual politics. Some of this material will feel right and familiar to anyone who's worked in an office; some is unique to this particular high-pressure, glamorous, but always in-the-background profession. We watch the people in this Paris-based talent agency - the boss, Hachim, a wealthy and egotistical entrepreneur who bought the agency and tries to impose his will on the employees, plus a team of 9 agents and their assistants, each w/ a distinct personality and agenda - as it evolves over time, fending off many threats from outside and inside, various mutinies, subterfuges, successes and failures. There's plenty of good gossipy drama and lots of humor throughout, and, as the series has gained more traction, at least in France, they get even bigger starts to front each episode (the key catch in this season is Isabel Hupert, playing the role of an overworked movie star who double-books projects, to her agent's near demise - and a play on her evident omnipresence in Europe and the U.S.) and many more actors, critics, and directors for cameos - esp in the final episode of the season, the agency anniversary party filled w/ many actors and others as "guests" - unfortunately, not ones American viewers are likely to recognize, but we get the picture. By the end, we end up caring about each of the characters, despite their double-dealings and infidelities, and we appreciate getting what feels like a true inside look at this complicated profession - what agents have to do to get, retain, mollify, appease, and coddle the talent and how they manage to earn their 10 percent. Six hour-long episodes and definitely worth watching, though be sure to start w/ Season 1 as the plot is intricate and builds from that base.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.