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Very French, very hip, very snappy. This film is a cynical criticism of the world of advertising.
Octave Parango (Jean Dujardin) has it all: good looks, women, drugs and his dream job. He has a top position at an important advertising emporium in Paris.
Probably on purpose there is not much of a story. The plot and the characters are very superficial. There is never a deeper bond between the characters and the audience. Octave is flat, dislikable, and his character doesn’t develop much during the course of the film. I think it must be intentional to demonstrate the shallowness of this industry. I like the idea behind it, but I would rather watch a film with a bit more depth.
The film is unbelievably well-made (directed by Jan Kounen). I am sure the filmmakers must have worked in advertising before making this film.The transitions between the scenes are exciting and different. Every shot is perfect and well planned. Basically it is like watching one long advert.
99 Francs is entertaining and fun but I believe that it is mostly of interest to people who are interested in film. On the whole I think it is a film that every film student should watch. There are a lot of great ideas to steal from it ;).
The world according to Ness 