Guillaume Tardieu does not think much of the man dating his daughter and he likes the actor playing him even less. He makes that clear whenever he breaks character, which is often. He is relatively okay with Florence Drucker, who plays his daughter, probably because she is a pretty big star. Regardless, he is much more interested in the upcoming Paul Thomas Anderson he claims he just signed onto.
Second Actis sort of meta, but much less so than many of Dupieux’s previous films. Reality and the film production are supposed to blend together as the actors break character and the fourth wall. However, it is way too easy to tell who is talking, actor or character. That means no bending of minds, let alone blowing them. It all just plays out like an extremely uncomfortable “making of” feature.
In a way, The Second Act feels like an under-baked companion film to Dupieux’s Yannick (which was also slight, but more amusing). It mostly plays like a rather aimless improv, but Dupieux inexplicably ends on a dark note that clashes with the film’s previous playfulness. However, Dorothy Ashby’s jazz harp rendition of “Django” plays over the closing credits, dismisses the audience on a haunting but ironically familiar-yet-hard-to-place vibe. A minor, underwhelming film from the prolific Dupieux, The Second Act screens tomorrow (3/8) and Thursday (3/13) as part of this year’s Rendez-Vous with French Cinema.
