Media Magick

One of Netflix’s latest releases, Emily in Paris has widely been liked. Why? Because we all have been pushed down, beaten; left broken or depressed by the way 2020 has played out. We all need a little sunshine in our lives right now. And Emily in Paris is just that.

Before discussing the show, its merits, writing or anything else, I just want to say that the buoyancy and cheerful Emily may not be politically correct when it comes to her personal and professional life in Paris but she did bring a little cheer in our lives for that little bit when we were glued to our screens binge watching Emily in Paris.

Emily is played by Lily Collins who is shown as an American woman, who moves to Paris for a job opportunity. Her job is to bring the American perspective to a French marketing firm to offer a little digitization and Americanization to their old school marketing strategies. But does she succeed in doing that?

Trailer: Emily In Paris

Emily is undoubtedly a very cheerful person who is a modern American woman living in a digital world. She moves to Paris unexpectedly when her boss who is actually tasked to move to Paris in the first place finds herself unable to do so due to unanticipated circumstances. Now, Emily moves to Paris leaving behind her boyfriend who doesn’t seem too keen with the idea of her moving to Paris. She arrives in Paris with no knowledge of the city, the people, their habits or even the language. Here is what I find weird. In this day and age when knowledge is just a click away, and she being a social media enthusiast, why is she shown so ignorant of everything she has to face in Paris?

Secondly, she gains massive Instagram following just from posting selfies. How does that even work? I want to know the secret and so would all the Instagram influencers who bust their ass to post quality content to increase their engagement and followers.

So, Emily newly arrived in Paris goes to office and her inability to speak French and her clothes and style make her stand out not to mention the fact that the French company’s existing employees abhor the fact that an outsider has come to teach them how to run things in their office. Her boss Sylvie at Savoir, played by Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu resents her presence at her office and makes fun of her dressing in more than one episode. To be honest, in front of the chic and stylish Sylvie Emily does look gauche.

But this all does not mean that I personally didn’t like the show. Actually it was a good watch. With all its flaws and minute inconsistencies, it was a light hearted show which we all need in our life right now. This show takes our mind off the mundane everyday life. It offers a light hearted content with love and professional life problems. The charms of French men are shown on display in this show. It’s a romantic comedy, don’t watch this with cynicism and skeptics about whether this all is possible to happen to an average American girl or not. In a movie which is not based on real life, this can.

Watch Emily to be entertained without taking it too seriously.