Well, I suppose some would say it is a comedy. In fact it is not really funny. Of course sometimes, occasionally, it might raise a smile, of sorts. But it is stretching it to call it a comedy. If it had been made in the 1950's or early 1960's when it is supposed to be set, rather uncertainly - there are inconsistencies in the set that could go towards its goof count - it might have interest as a historical document. But to think that this was made as late as 2012 begs questions of values the production team and others involved (except perhaps for the actors, who would always appreciate a crust of bread.) And it begs a similar question about those who were rating it as highly as they did.
The "girls", adult women, are treated as performing chimpanzees, set up to compete - in the final showdown indeed in a non-contact cat-fight, as speed typists, the acme and ultimate ambition for women in the man's world that is/was an office. The romantic line running through it, that may allow some to ignore the reality of what the film said it was about, is really thin and full of stereotypes, and the final denouement is sad in its predictability. Really, have they learnt and understood nothing about the relations between the sexes, patronising bosses (patrons), lecherous bosses' sons, equal opportunity, sexism and discrimination and so on. It is not a question of "political correctness", just of maturity in film-making. This is not mature. Who was the intended film audience, what were they wanting to say to those people? That that was some halycon, good-old-days ? There is a place for re-creating old film styles. For a brilliant film that does successfully to the highest degree, by contrast with this, see:he Artist another French films made only a year earlier in 2011, also called a romantic comedy-drama (written, directed, and co-edited by Michel Hazanavicius). Ironically that film also had Bérénice Bejo who deservedly was praised for he part. In this film there was nothing that she could have done. Or anyone for that. Sorry folks, that's all!
The "girls", adult women, are treated as performing chimpanzees, set up to compete - in the final showdown indeed in a non-contact cat-fight, as speed typists, the acme and ultimate ambition for women in the man's world that is/was an office. The romantic line running through it, that may allow some to ignore the reality of what the film said it was about, is really thin and full of stereotypes, and the final denouement is sad in its predictability. Really, have they learnt and understood nothing about the relations between the sexes, patronising bosses (patrons), lecherous bosses' sons, equal opportunity, sexism and discrimination and so on. It is not a question of "political correctness", just of maturity in film-making. This is not mature. Who was the intended film audience, what were they wanting to say to those people? That that was some halycon, good-old-days ? There is a place for re-creating old film styles. For a brilliant film that does successfully to the highest degree, by contrast with this, see:he Artist another French films made only a year earlier in 2011, also called a romantic comedy-drama (written, directed, and co-edited by Michel Hazanavicius). Ironically that film also had Bérénice Bejo who deservedly was praised for he part. In this film there was nothing that she could have done. Or anyone for that. Sorry folks, that's all!