Customer Reviews

Seducing Dr. Lewis

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The hero of this film is a small town in Quebec that has aged badly. The fishing industry is dead, and there has been no other work to take its place. The men of the town trudge through their days complacently, having resigned themselves to accept welfare checks from the government at expense to their manhood. Even the mayor is leaving town for a better life elsewhere. Just about everyone in the town has given up on it.

There is, however, a way out: a large company is going to build a factory there, and thus give meaning and life to the zombie-like male population. However, there is also a very difficult condition: the town must first hire a full-time physician.

And so, the town cooperates to seduce a doctor to making this blighted town (that is yet paradoxically beautiful in its imperfections) his desire.

So, this movie is a very interesting twist on the romantic comedy. On the first hand, it is a man who is the object of a seduction. Secondly, it is a village that is doing the seduction, and coping as its plans topple comically out-of-control.

The players in the seduction are wonderfully un-suave and salty, and their efforts are all the more earnest for it.

PS I should admit that title of this review is misleading in one small way: there is a very attractive actress in the film (Lucie Laurier, "Eve"). However, her character is refreshingly not involved in the seduction at all.

I saw this flick as a full screen movie and fell in love with it.I wanted to own a copy to watch periodically and share with friends. Given the troublesome world we have today, so full of violence, greed and sadness, just slipping this disk in and running it lightens the heart. Even the fact that it is in French with English subtitles doesn't deter it's charm for one moment. The shenanigans this little clan of islanders off the coast of Canada use to lure and retain the doctor needed, before a factory will come to the island and provide work and wages are hysterical, bringing tears of laughter to one's eyes. This is not high slapstick comedy but gentle, subtle comedy that heightens the sentimental and tender story of a group of proud working class humans efforts to once again become productive citizens of society after circumstances have demoralized and humiliated them by forcing them onto the welfare rolls. Not a flick for those seeking high thrills and action but for those needing a good laugh, a lightening of heart, and a peek, just for a moment, of life that is still communal and holds out hope.

St. Marie-La-Mauderne, a small fishing village near Quebec, has fallen on hard times. The locals, including Germaine (Raymond Bouchard) collect their welfare checks from the post office and promptly cash them at the bank every month, proceeding from one to the other like prisoners going to the exercise yard. A company is considering the small town for a new factory, which would give the town an enormous boost, both morally and financially. The one catch is that there is no full-time doctor in residence; the company's insurance policy requires this. Germaine and his friends go about recruiting a doctor. Soon, Dr. Christopher Lewis (David Boutin) arrives, for a month trial. The townsfolk tap his phone and try to make sure that he has everything he could ever want. During the month, he also eyes the only single woman in the entire town, the post mistress. Will he be convinced to stay in the town?

"Seducing Dr. Lewis", a French Canadian film, is a charming little film, much like "Waking Ned Devine" or "Local Hero". The film depicts the lives of the people in this small town, making them believable and eccentric.

"Seducing" doesn't break any new ground, what it does is provide a sweet, sometimes funny little slice of life. As we are introduced to the characters and the town, we learn what life in St. Marie-La-Mauderne was like in the good old days, when fishing was lucrative. This is a funny segment and easily sets the tone for the remainder of the film. In present day, the town has fallen on hard times. Many of the people stay because this is what their entire lives have been. When things become so bad, some people start to move or threaten to move. The offer of a new factory is made and the town works towards that.

The arrival of Dr. Lewis isn't an entirely voluntary one. Many doctors receive the notices from the town and laughingly throw them away. Dr. Lewis is "encouraged" to visit the town and initially scoffs at the small town. As he learns that the restaurant serves Beef Bourguignon and the town plays Cricket, two of his favorite things, he starts to warm to them. Of course, both of these things are lies and the townspeople are merely putting on a show.

The film throws in a couple of complications along the way, to keep things interesting. The company building the town needs a certain number of people living in the vicinity, to adequately staff the facility. When company officials visit, Germain gives them a tour, following the townspeople from one location to the other, giving the appearance of a lot more people.

The outcome of the film is predictable, perhaps, but it is also good-natured. I know of a few people who will not go to violent films. They want to see happy films about people. Well, "Seducing Dr. Lewis" is for you. It is the perfect rental for a night in, after a tough week at work. Get some French take out and enjoy a visit to a sleepy little fishing village called St. Marie-La-Mauderne.

Although this has been characterized as another "remote village" movie, of which there are quite a few, I enjoy this type of quirky simplicity.

This movie takes place on an island once supported by its fishing industry, but now desperately in need of another means of maintaining its existence. The islanders must cope with this challenge, and to do so, they try to trick a big-city doctor into setting up a practice on the island.

There are many laugh-out-loud moments, especially the cricket game and when the villagers run from one building to another to try to convince the doctor that the population is larger than it really is.

A nice little "slice of life" film that is very entertaining.

I was fortunate enough to see this show at the Sundance Film Festival where it took the audience's choice award. The audience's reaction to this show was strong.

This movie is about a small fishing village in Canada where the fishing was no longer viable and in order to restore dignity through meaningful employment the town seeks to get a factory established in the town. However, there is a hitch to the factory aggreeing to move its operation to this town; there must be a full-time doctor living in the town. Therefore the village sets out to seduce Dr. Lewis into committing to stay for five years. Anyway, great movie, a lot of humor, and a lot of charm.

What a fun little movie! The film is about a small fishing town that's trying to win over a doctor so that their town can get a factory. The film has the same spirit of a town coming together to trick an outsider (the doctor) as "Waking Ned Devine," and is just as much fun. Four stars because the off-screen sex at the beginning and end of the film is completely unnecessary, and isn't funny at all. Other than that, it's pretty good!

**Being a current student of French studying Quebecois culture, I chose to write this review in French, for the Francophones who may feel a little left out on the critique of one of their own movies.**


« La Grande Séduction » est une grande comédie québécoise qu'on doit voir bientôt. La ville Sainte Marie La Moderne dans le nord du Québec était en ruines, avec tout le monde en sécurité sociale et en chômage. Mais le maire de la ville, Germain Lesage (Raymond Bouchard) a de l'espoir pour leur ville. Il veut qu'une fabrique vienne pour donner du travail et les negotions encore un fois. Mais pour cela d'arriver, on a besoin d'un docteur pour le peuple. Quand un jeune homme, le Docteur Lewis (David Boutin) écrit qu'il arrive pour voir la ville, les gens font une grande opération pour lui plaisir. Ils ont changée toute la ville pour être ce qu'il aime, et le docteur vraiment commence d'aimer la belle ville marinière. A la fin, le jeune docteur compte rendu de ce que tout est une mensonge- mais avec les meilleures intentions. Il décide de vivre dans la ville et travailler comme leur docteur. C'est vraiment une bonne fin.
Ce film est génial pour beaucoup de raisons, la première est le choix des acteurs. Ils démontrent physiquement les différences culturelles entre les régions du même pays. Le jeune docteur Smith est de la grande ville, Montréal, et il a beaucoup de savoir faire et il ne sait rien de la vie rurale. Il est beau et les choses matérielles sont importantes pour lui, au départ. A l'autre coté sont les gens de la Sainte Marie, surtout Germain et Yvon (Pierre Collin), qui ont les visages de ceux qui ont travail pour beaucoup d'ans. Ils sont durs de constitution et de mots, avec beaucoup de rides, et ils ne savent rien de la vie urbaine. Les deux cotés des hommes sont à la même fois naïve de la vie de l'autre.
L'interprétation faite pour les acteurs était très bonne aussi, parce qu'ils sont les acteurs québécois très connus. Bien sur, l'utilisation d'une ville réel dans le nord du Québec a donne au film une sentiment de la familiarité et réalité- ce n'est pas une scène crée pour Hollywood. Les gens de la ville peuvent être les gens de n'importe pas ville; parce que toujours la famille, le travail, et le bonheur sont les choses le plus importantes. C'est très important que ce film a les acteurs vraiment québécois, parce qu'ils ont besoin de représentation dans le monde cinématique. Petit à petit, avec les films réussis pour tout le monde comme ce film ci, le Québec toujours accumule le respect qu'elle mérite.
La musique est une composante essentielle de chaque film, qui peut donner une certaine émotion au lecteur. La bande sonore de La Grande Séduction est une belle mélange des émotions qui incluent la tristesse, le bonheur, la fête, et le réflexion, tout a travers du ton, du son et du rythme de la musique. Jean-Marie Benoît, le compositeur, nous donne le sentiment de vivre dans cette petite ville qui est rustique et calme, et aussi nous donne le sens de la vie urbaine de Montréal, qui est complètement le contraire.
Ce film n'est pas une histoire originale, mais c'est une comédie propre que toute la famille peut apprécier. Les personnages sont très connus et semblables de nous-mêmes, de chaque personnage qui apparaît dans la vie actuelle. La bande sonore est le parfait fonde pour un voyage au nord du Québec. Et les rôles joués pour les acteurs sont géniaux et amusants à la fois. On veut voir ce film pour rire et pour voir un peu de la vie québécoise qu'est normalement cachée.

This movie is simply entertaining and funny. There is nothing in it that you have to overthink or try to figure out...just sit back and enjoy...and laugh! We just need more movies like this...why doesn't hollywood get that!?

SEDUCING DR LEWIS by Jean-François Pouliot

The Brits love French films when the French show their shortcomings or their typical way of tackling a problem they have created. There is more than that in this film. French Canada: a tiny, isolated, impoverished but VERY happy village far from the madding crowd and limited by the ocean. They were promised a factory if they have a doctor. (I won't say who's doing his job!). Unfortunately, no doctors fancy moving there despite their desperate attempts. Then Destiny chose poor young Dr Lewis to be sent, shall I say sentenced for a year in the happy village. The population will stop at nothing to make him happy enough to want to stay. For them the end justifies the means. As they find out -in an unorthodox way- that Dr Lewis is a fan of cricket, they decide to learn it thanks to the unique computer of the village. And they will make a lot more sacrifices and concessions.
Five reasons to watch this film:
Funny from beginning to end
French countrymen learning the esoteric rules of cricket.
Bribes reaching remote corners
People determined to save their home with a ruthless solidarity
A story to relieve stress and make your morbid view of humanity change in minutes.

What will a village go through to get back their dignity is the question this film poses. And in this case, the answer is quite a bit.

St. Marie La Mauderne has seen better days. The town's main employment, fishing, has gone the way of the dinosaur, and most of the once-proud citizens have been on welfare for several years. Enter the prospect of a factory which would employ all who wished to work, but there's a catch: they require a doctor in residence. It seems like a hopeless situation, but then the citizenry get lucky--a Montreal doctor has an altercation with a cop who turns out to be the former mayor of St. Marie, and a month-long stay is negotiated. It is then up to the villagers to make the young doctor want to stay, and so begins their seduction of Dr. Lewis using, among other things, cricket, a tapped phone, and beef stroganoff.

In a way, it reminds me of Doc Hollywood, the late '80's film starring Michael J. Fox, who is forced to practice medicine in a small town after a car accident, but in this film the town pretends it is something it is not in order to woo him into staying.

I very much enjoyed this movie, despite my growing indignation as the film went on of the town's emotional manipulation of the doctor, who turns out to be kind of goofy and sweet. All is worked out in the end, thankfully, and the end is a satisfying and happy one. A very charming film...