GRAPHIC | Tara Espinoza
Have you ever thought about running away to a foreign country? A Netflix original series, “Emily in Paris,” is a rom-com fantasy that did just that.
“Emily in Paris” is a show we all love to hate. It’s the type of show we binge watch but never admit to watching.
Emily Cooper is a young woman from Chicago who leaves her life behind to move to Paris after the PR firm she works for buys a French marketing firm. Without knowing the language or culture, it makes perfect sense for her company to send her there.
Within the first week of Emily living in France, every cliche you can think of happens to her. She gets dumped, the people at her new job dislike her and she starts hooking up with many different guys. All the while trying to bring the firm, called Savoir into the mainstream.
To connect Americans to French culture and Savoir, she changed her Instagram handle to EmilyInParis and started snapping photos of her new life. Overnight she gets thousands of followers and gets success at work. Completely realistic, right?
But that’s the show’s point; it’s not supposed to be realistic. It’s supposed to be an escape from reality. It is sheer stupidity that makes you laugh; it is the show you can sit down and tune out; it is a show that has you coming back for more because we all desperately crave an escape.
While the plot is on the weaker side, the show has two redeemable qualities; the filming sites and the acting.
The buildings and historic landmarks put the viewer on Paris’ cobblestones. The show is beautifully filmed in excellent locations and highlights some of the city’s most famous sites. Scenes were filmed in the opera house Palais Garnier, the iconic Le Grand Vefour restaurant and Musee des Arts Forains museum.
British-American actress Lily Collins portrays the main character Emily Cooper. Collins started acting at the age of 2 and has had some hits and misses in her career; however, she performs the role of the clueless young adult trying to figure out life perfectly.
Collins presents the character Emily so that anyone can relate to her. Everyone knows what it’s like to be alone, to start a new job and to lose a lover. Sure we might not get to France like her character, but we can live vicariously.
French actress Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu portrays Sylvie, Emily’s boss in the show. Leroy-Beaulieu has acted in many French TV series and films. Her character is the ultimate Frenchwoman reminiscent of Miranda Priestly in the 2006 movie “The Devil Wears Prada,” and I live for it.
Her character, like the show, is a stereotype that fits perfectly into the escape from reality theme the show provides to its viewers.
As the show continues, Emily starts falling for her charming chef, Gabriel, portrayed by French actor Lucas Bravo. The only issue is his girlfriend, one of Emily’s new friends.
While having feelings for Gabriel, she also starts a fling with her client Antoine who French actor William Abadie portrays. This leads to the will they or won’t they narrative and keeps you guessing which guy Emily will choose.
Will she admit her feelings for Gabriel? Will she date her hot client Antoine? Or hook up with some new lover?
The Netflix show was renewed for a third season, and audience ratings are at 4.2, and it has a 68 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
It’s safe to say we won’t be saying “au revoir” to our guilty pleasure anytime soon.
