Seducing Doctor Lewis

This gentle French-Canadian comedy opens with a very funny sequence reminiscent of 'Amelie', an obvious influence on debut feature director Jean-François Pouliot. While not quite in the same league as Jeuneut's classic, 'Seducing Dr. Lewis' is a charming and enjoyable piece of cinema. The residents of tiny fishing village St. Marie-La-Mauderne are desperate for work, but for their town to qualify for a factory they must first acquire a doctor. So they devise a plan to 'seduce' Christopher Lewis, a big city plastic surgeon who ends up on their doorstep. The story itself is quite silly, but thanks to a wonderfully wide-eyed performance from David Boutin - as the eponymous doctor - we never question it's believability. The rest of the cast are fine, and though the story holds no surprises, it fits in a fair amount of great comic moments. [Paul Gallagher]