Item: Une fille à papa
Rating: 5.5
Author: Archivist John

Is it worth it?

Honestly, you probably already know if you’re the type of person who digs 1930s French comedies. If you want high-octane thrills or sharp, modern dialogue, steer clear. You’ll be bored to tears within ten minutes. But if you’re a sucker for old-school charm and the kind of gentle, slightly absurd premise that just wouldn't work in a modern script, you might find something sweet here.

It’s light. Almost too light. Like, floating-away-into-the-clouds light.

The premise

The whole thing hinges on a young orphan hiring a hotel worker to pose as her father for a skiing holiday. It’s a classic lie-based comedy trope. Watching the dynamic shift between them is the main draw, especially because the hotel worker looks like he’d rather be literally anywhere else. It reminded me a bit of the awkward, forced camaraderie you see in

Odd bits and pieces

The ski resort setting feels like a stage play half the time.
The coats! Honestly, the fashion alone is worth a look if you’re into that sort of thing.
There’s a moment where the dialogue just... stops. Like, the actors forgot the line, but they kept filming anyway.
Michèle Morgan shows up, and suddenly the screen has a bit of actual gravity.

The chemistry is weird. It’s not romantic, and it’s not really father-daughter either. It’s more like two people trapped in a social experiment gone wrong. You can almost feel the movie trying to convince you that this strange, forced bond is touching, but it’s mostly just funny in a 'why are they doing this?' kind of way. ❄️

Some of the reaction shots last about three seconds too long. It’s endearing, in a way. Like the editor was having a nap at the machine. It gives the whole thing a sleepy, dreamlike rhythm that I didn't hate.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even trying to be one. It feels like it was made on a Tuesday afternoon just to give people something to watch before they went to get dinner. Sometimes that’s enough. Just don’t expect it to change your life or anything.

If you've watched La flambée des rêves, you know that era of French cinema had a certain way of handling sentimentality. This one is less moody, though. It’s breezy. Almost to a fault.

I left it feeling like I’d just had a very polite conversation with a stranger on a train. Pleasant, slightly odd, and I’ll probably forget about it by next week. And that’s fine. We don't always need high art. Sometimes we just need a fake dad on a mountain. ⛷️