Rigolboche: A weird, dusty climb to the top

So, should you watch this?

If you're into the kind of old French cinema that smells like cigarette smoke and velvet curtains, you’ll probably find something to love here. But if you need your plots to actually make sense from start to finish, you might want to skip it. It’s definitely not for everyone, especially those who get annoyed when a movie forgets its own murder mystery premise halfway through.

Lina Bourget starts off on the run, and for a second, I thought we were getting a noir. But then she hits Paris and it’s all songs and lights. The transition is so fast it gave me whiplash. One minute she’s terrified of being caught, the next she’s basically a local celebrity.

The stage numbers are where the movie finds its heartbeat, I guess. Though some of the scenes are framed so strangely it feels like the camera operator was falling asleep. There’s this one shot of a background dancer that lasts way too long, and you can tell he’s just waiting for the director to yell 'cut.' It's kind of charming in a messy way.

Honestly, the pacing is all over the place. Sometimes it feels like watching Those Beautiful Dames with the volume turned up. It’s got that same frantic energy where everyone is smiling way too wide for their own good.

• The lighting in the dressing room scenes is actually kind of moody.
• I’m still not sure if the murder plot was just a suggestion or a real thing.
• The songs are catchy, even if they don't move the story forward an inch.

There's a scene near the middle where they just stop the narrative to show off a routine, and it feels like the movie is trying to convince me it's a grand spectacle. It’s not. It’s just a bunch of people trying to make a living in a very loud theater. The contrast with something like the stark, quiet shots in Dutch Guiana: 'Land of the Djuka' is wild. They are basically two different planets.

Is it a masterpiece? No way. But watching it felt like finding a forgotten postcard in a thrift store. 🎞️ It’s got a weird, dusty soul. You can tell they were trying to be sophisticated, but sometimes it just ends up feeling like a local variety show with a budget. Don't look for deep meaning. Just enjoy the ride, even if the wheels are falling off the cart near the end.