Film

Barratier (Les Choristes) seems to be making a bid to be France’s new master of sweet nostalgia with a musical bent. In Paris 36, the rich color palette, deliberate artificiality and general air of whimsy suggest comparisons to Amélie and Victor/Victoria. After an unscrupulous businessman (Donnadieu) acquires a Parisian music hall and shuts it down to make way for new construction, theater manager Pigoil (Jugnot) goes all Judy-Garland-and-Mickey-Rooney, asserting squatter’s rights and gathering his friends and neighbors to revive the place. Their collaboration is neatly linked to the brief moment in 1936 when France had a socialist-leaning government. In case the stakes don’t feel high enough already, the success of the theater is Pigoil’s only hope of regaining custody of his accordionist son JoJo (Perrin).

At first, the revived theater is a disaster, but when talented chanteuse Douce (Arnezeder) takes the stage, the locals flock. Can the fiery socialist radical Milou (Cornillac) win Douce’s heart? Will she be tempted by better offers at “real” theaters? Will there be a tearful reunion of père and fils? Do you really have to ask?