Review: Emily in Paris (Netflix)
Emily in Paris is a welcome respite in the Covid times. Viewers get to soak up France and live vicariously through the protagonist’s glamorous life. With season 1 being just 10 episodes of roughly 25 minutes, the series is an amusing light watch. Since its release, the series has received wide media attention for its portrayal of the French culture and stereotype thinking.
The series is about a 20 something ambitious American girl, Emily Cooper, arriving in the city of love and romance, Paris! But there’s only one tiny glitch – she doesn’t speak or understand French. However that does not deter the protagonist from desperately trying to achieve the purpose of her visit – to represent an American view in the marketing firm which was newly acquired by the American company she works for.
The series has garnered several skeptical reviews since it was first aired on Netflix. It’s what I call the love-hate relationship or sibling rivalry – you know you can’t stand some parts of the relationship yet you cannot seem to pull yourself away from it! While I do empathise with the Parisian viewers on their disappointment with the series, I would also take a moment to remind the viewers that this is Paris through the eyes of an American woman. It’s all about perspective – Emily steps into poodle shit just as she steps out of her apartment but she also immerses herself in the glitz and glamour that the city has to offer. Her personal and work life seem to blur to a point you can no longer tell if the job’s working her or she’s working the job.
Emily in Paris is not the portrayal of an average new comer’s everyday life in Paris. It’s far from that. Progressing through the series, it’s difficult to digest certain parts of the storyline – like how Emily played by Lily Collins, goes from having 48 followers on her Instagram account to over 20k followers shortly after she arrives in Paris. Another one is how she manages to sweep her clients off their feet with her ability to ‘think on her feet’ coming up with ideas that her clients readily accept. Her boss in Paris, Sylvie played by Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu is shown as a taskmaster who is determined to give Emily a hard time. One can’t but help be reminded of Miranda Priestly played by Meryl Streep in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. It’s also amazing how a marketing executive who is fairly new in her career has so much hands on experience that outshines her superiors. Like I said – this is a series that makes you think that on screen life looks to good to be true.
The series has glossed over several themes – romance, heartbreak, deception, friendship, misogyny etc. Most of the male characters are shown to be of a questionable character which may be a bit off putting to several viewers. The character Camille played by Camille Razat herself deserves a special mention – the unassuming girlfriend of the glamorous chef Gabriel, Emily’s neighbor (oops have I said too much? Oh the chemistry between them is undeniable!)
Go ahead and give it a watch if you aren’t easily offended. Emily in Paris is a weekend binge watching kind of series. You either love it or hate it!
Overall rating – 7.5/10
