Sydney Price (Minka Kelly) is a marketing executive who travels to France in hopes of securing the acquisition of a renowned champagne brand. Before she leaves, she makes a promise to her sister Skyler (Maeve Courtier-Lilley) that she will spend one night of her time away exploring the beautiful sights that Paris has to offer. When she meets Henri (Tom Wozniczka) at a bookshop, sparks fly. But when Sydney discovers that Henri is the champagne brand founder’s son, things get complicated.
This one wasn’t initially on my radar though I’m not sure why. A festive romcom taking place in the city of love is right up my alley! And as far as Netflix films go, it’s actually one of the more decent ones.
While I found Sydney to be a bit annoying at first, once she stopped being so uptight and decided to be more spontaneous, I really warmed up to her character. Kelly did a great job portraying her and as the film progress the audience gets to understand why she’s so career driven to begin with. Henri is the handsome Parisian who sweeps Sydney off her feet and sweep he does. Their meet cute was charming (I wish that bookshop actually existed!) and it was nice to see them let their guard down around each other even when they learned of the other’s true identities.
I’m so pleased that they casted French speaking actors as it made the story feel more authentic. Thibault de Montalembert starred as Hugo Cassell, Henri’s father and the founder of Chateau Cassell. Astrid Whettnall was Brigette, an interested buyer. Joël Cudennec was the devoted butler and lover of vintage cars. Thierry René was the helpful concierge Marcel at the hotel where Sydney stayed. In addition to them were Sean Amsing as Roberto Salazar and Flula Borg as Otto Moller, two other interested buyers who were super funny and stole many of the scenes they were in. They all played their parts well.
Choosing to film on location was a great choice. Paris at Christmas is a joy and the chateau in the countryside was also beautiful. All that snow and the small town vibe really had me feeling cozy.
Overall, Champagne Problems was actually not bad. The storyline mixes business and pleasure with the backdrop of the festive season. The two leads have good chemistry and while it’s predictable, it’s still sweet enough that I didn’t even mind. I recommend checking it out if you’re looking for something to get you into the holiday spirit.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️
Credits Rolling 