Paris. Hilarity. Cameos from the French acting community as well as some American stars and a cast of likeable imperfect characters all trying to navigate the world of celebrity and cinema. If any or all of that appeals to you, then Dix Pour Cent (aka Call My Agent!) is a series and soon-to-be film for you to watch.

As I poured back through all of the Petit Plaisirs I have shared over the years, while I have mentioned this series in the past, it was never selected to be spotlighted, and that needs to be remedied. Plus, in under one month, the feature film that will reprise the entire cast of Dix Pour Cent will premiere (September 10th). So this seemed a perfect choice for this year’s French Week’s Petit Plaisir.

Starring Camille Cottin as Andréa Martel, a lead talent agent for the ASK agency in Paris, in the series, she works alongside Grégory Montél who plays Gabriel Sarda – also an agent, Liliane Rovére who plays Arlette Azémar, the seasoned agent whose Jack Russell terrier accompanies her everywhere, Laure Calamy plays Noémie the personal assistant to Thibault de Montalembert (who plays Mathias Barneville, who while an agent also becomes part owner of the agency), and Fanny Sidney plays Thibault’s character’s daughter whom he never knew existed until she walks into the agency seeking him out. She soon becomes a personal assistant in the firm as they try to build their bond.

The series goes behind the scenes of celebrity to share the negotiations and relationships each agent navigates with their stars. From coddling feelings to managing competition for a role between stars, all while keeping the business afloat, the backdrop of it all is Paris. We step inside restaurants, glamorous hotels, walk along the rues and over les ponts, and as onlookers, get to see more of the city while also getting to know the personal lives of the agents themselves. And the hilarity of requests, stress, and faux pas brings the comedy that makes this show both brilliant and endearing. By the end of the series, each main character is likable and will be missed as the agency is closed and each person goes their own way.

The series originally aired in France from 2015 to 2000, four seasons, and has many adaptations in other countries – Britain and Germany both have their own Call My Agent!. Needless to say, it is a hit concept for a show, and others definitely want to capitalize on it for good reason – it’s good fun seeing actors appear more human than they may be projected on screen in all their perfection and glamour.

Thankfully, we don’t have to miss the characters anymore as they are all coming back in a new feature film that will air on Netflix this coming September, the 10th (it had its international debut at the Cannes Film Festival this past May – see the stars here). The plot finds the former members of the agency all going about their own lives five years removed with Camille Cottin’s character now making her way as a debut film director. However, she runs up against a dilemma – the main actor has dropped out of her film last minute, just 12 days before shooting begins, and she needs help to save the project tout de suite! So she looks to her former colleagues to reassemble the ASK agency and save her film. There isn’t yet a trailer for the film, but there is a clip. I will share it below along with a trailer for the series so that if you haven’t watched it yet, you can see what you’ll be enjoying when you tune in. Keeping with their formula of including cameos of actual actors in the show, it has been confirmed that George Clooney (who is said to love the series) and Eva Longoria will appear in cameos roles.

I recently went back and watched the last two seasons to remind myself of each cast member and storyline, all in preparation to watch the film. C’est important ! 🙂 And one of the episodes that stands out to me, and, in fact, prompted one of the cameo actors to be nominated for an International Emmy Award, was the episode with Sigourney Weaver. It is brilliant, she is brilliant, and she speaks beautiful French. This episode appears in the final season (4) in which Weaver’s character determinedly seeks not to let her age limit her options of roles.

Find all seasons of this French comedy series on Netflix, and look for the film to premiere on September 10th on Netflix.

Watch the trailer of the original French series below:

Watch the clip from the upcoming feature film:

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~Explore all of TSLL’s Petit Plaisirs here, and all of the French-inspired Petit Plaisirs here.

Explore all of the Posts shared during this year’s French Week