Marc Brunet should immediately apologize to the Chloes of Quebec, since as of Thursday, the poor will be called “Shloé” because of Splendor & Influencehis new comedy.
As with the expression “beautiful energy”, which we can no longer use without thinking of Like me, the author completely diverts the trajectory of the first name, by concocting a character who insists on pronouncing the “h”. Result: since we witnessed the viewing of the first two episodes on Tuesday – which will land on ICI Tou.tv Extra on Thursday – Chloé has become “Shloé”. And we bet we’re not the only ones.
With Splendor & Influence, Marc Brunet addresses a current subject: the unhealthy quest for fame, this need to be known and recognized. He dabbles in it by telling the story of Brigitte Bussières (wonderful Anne Dorval), unscrupulous producer and host of reality shows like Goodbye rolls, hello love And The island of pigs. She is trying to revive her career by taking the helm of a show in which four influencers will “finally have the chance to talk about themselves”. To attract a younger audience, she will be supported by Zac (Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques), web star with 200,001 subscribers on Instagram and, above all, a big fan of pearl necklaces over her tank tops.
As for the “content creators who will join the cast of the show at the end of an audition session open to people suffering from body diversity”, we point out Drano (Yannick De Martino), showerbag gym leader who has just left his girlfriend because she had gained 15 pounds, Vadge (Pascale De Blois), from Trois-Rivières who “loves having her photo taken with her arms in the air”, Cyprien (Mathieu Dufour) , a bad singer who wants to “denounce social injustices by wearing beautiful sweaters”, and obviously Chloé (we hope you pronounced the “h”) (Naïla Louidort), a 22-year-old real estate agent/actress who fights against all form of intolerance, even that to gluten.
After The heart has its reasons, Bobos And Like meMarc Brunet continues his winning streak with Splendor & Influence.
Tuesday morning, there was a lot of laughter at Radio-Canada’s Studio R, where its first two episodes were screened. Produced by Zone3 and directed by Isabelle Garneau and Jean-François Chagnon, the show has everything it takes to attract a large audience.
All codes
On the one hand, those who hate reality TV will enjoy it because by parodying this type of program, the series offers them an ideal outlet. On the other hand, those who love the genre will come back for more because they understand every reference and mini-wink Double occupation-esque: from black and white sequences to crudely highlight supposedly sad moments to the competitors’ vocabulary (their presentation videos invariably included the phrase “I’m authentic”), to the essential low-end sparkling wine that sponsors the episodes (Nocturnal sparkling, “the margarine of champagnes”).
The series is also very dense. The number of gags per minute is particularly high in the first episode. Every time you took your eyes off the screen to take notes, you felt like you missed half a dozen. The pace slows down slightly in the second, due to an overly repetitive sequence making fun of the now normal cycle of an internet controversy, made up of an excessive series of reaction videos.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
The author Marc Brunet
Because indeed, with Splendor & Influence, Marc Brunet doesn’t just mock flashy influencers; it attacks political correctness and decries excess, no matter your political allegiances. “To the left or to the right, there are abuses on both sides,” commented the screenwriter following the viewing.
The following episodes, which are still being edited, will parody other reality shows, including The voice And Star Academy. We are also impatiently awaiting a pastiche of the famous Sunwing flight of December 2021 (a party which turns bad), as well as an episode in which Vadge and company will try to save ducks in wetlands.
Reunion with Anne Dorval
Marc Brunet didn’t watch the last 10 seasons ofDouble occupation before writing Splendor & Influence. As he had not swallowed the entire Flames of love before giving birth THE vsheart has its reasons.
“I had a very superficial vision of the concept. It kept me from going into too much detail. It allowed me to be on an equal footing with the public,” said the author.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
The distribution of Splendor & Influence : Naïla Louidort, Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques, Yannick De Martino, Pascale De Blois, Anne Dorval and Mathieu Dufour, with the author Marc Brunet
Splendor & Influence also marks the reunion of Marc Brunet and Anne Dorval, who had not worked together since Bobos, in 2012 and 2013 at Télé-Québec. To write that the author was happy to find the actress would be an understatement. “She is an actress of international caliber, of great intelligence and great sensitivity. When something doesn’t work, she isn’t destabilized. We don’t have to walk on eggshells with her,” explained the principal concerned.
According to producer Josée Fortier, who also acts as a script advisor, Anne Dorval has in-depth knowledge of Marc Brunet’s writing, which makes her a major asset in Splendor & Influence. “It’s not easy to read a text by Marc Brunet. There is a phonetic. Every word is chosen. His texts are crafted. It can be very complex to learn. »
The first two episodes of Splendor & Influence will be presented on Thursday on ICI Tou.tv’s Extra. Then, the series will unfold at the rate of one episode per week. A broadcast on ICI Télé is planned later.