Review: Charm, goodwill and distinct pleasures reside in overlong ‘Samba’
For much of its overlong running time, the French dramedy “Samba” is a warm and captivating look at the world of workers in that country illegally and the immigrant advocates battling on their behalf. However, by its second half, the film, from writer-directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano (the 2011 international hit “The Intouchables”), becomes meandering and diffused, undermining the buckets of charm and goodwill it initially provides.
With depth, charisma and his now-trademark megawatt smile, “Intouchables” star Omar Sy returns as Samba Cissé, an “unpapered” Senegalese émigré living under the radar in Paris for the last 10 years. An aspiring chef, Samba works as a restaurant dishwasher and bunks with his concerned but critical immigrant uncle (Youngar Fall) in a cramped flat.
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Just as things are looking up for Samba, authorities order him to leave France immediately. Desperate, Samba seeks help from Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a volunteer immigration caseworker on hiatus from her corporate executive job after suffering a nervous breakdown. A tentative physical and emotional attraction ensues between the unlikely pair as they navigate the complex, often shadowy task of keeping Samba in the country.
Unfortunately, there’s not much real chemistry between the handsome, imposing Samba and the mousy, neurotic Alice. As a result, although we sincerely root for Samba to surmount his deportation dilemma, his potential romance with Alice proves a far less compelling throughline.
Still, Nakache and Toledano, who adapted the script from the novel by Delphine Coulin, pepper the film with enough stirring emotional beats, crowd-pleasing bits (gotta love that buoyant window-washing scene!) and vivid supporting characters such as Samba’s ebullient immigrant pal, Wilson (Tahar Rahim), that there are distinct pleasures to be had.
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‘Samba’
MPAA rating: R, for language
Running time: 1 hour, 58 minutes
Language: In French with English subtitles
Playing: Landmark, West Los Angeles
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