Picture: Netflix
The new 8-episode series from the creator of Family Business and Fiasco boasts a high-concept premise, sunny locations, and a R-rated penchant for frank teenager dialogue. But does it hit the creative jackpot?
Marseille is now a Netflix favorite when it comes to its French original shows: from its very first French original, the locally reviled but globally successful Marseille, to the current high-octane drama of Olivier Marchal’s Blood Coast, the sunny and cinematic Mediterranean city has recently served as a background for the action movie K.O. but it had not yet been used for a comedy. Enter creator Igor Gotesman, who pursues his successful partnership with the platform, after Family Business and last year’s moviemaking satire Fiasco, starring Pierre Niney.
The premise of the series is quite straightforward: four close-knit teenagers play the lottery and win a €17 million jackpot, but there are two big problems.
The first issue: as they are all 17, they cannot legally obtain their winnings yet… which they find out after throwing a huge party and trashing a luxury hotel room. The second issue: they will have no choice but to entice an outsider in the group, Victoire (Jeanne Boudier), who also happened to contribute to play the winning numbers…
That plan is one of many schemes running throughout the series; as such, Young Millionaires gets away from the clichés of good luck turning supernaturally bad, and – mostly – from the tropes of young teenagers from the inner city mismanaging their money and running into trouble. Instead, the jackpot remains elusive, and the circumstances and people “in the know” get more numerous (and greedier) as the series goes on. Therefore, Young Millionaires plays more like a light thriller with no shortage of twists (especially in its second half, which is more in the vein of Pretty Little Liars) than a coming-of-age comedy.
The series relies on the talent of four young comedians more than anything, and as they have to take even more risks and test their mutual trust in each other, these fresh faces are a really crucial asset. David (Abraham Wampler) is the de facto leader of the bunch, a Jewish orphan with street smarts, a fiery temper, and a budding reputation to try to make it big in the local rap industry (the soundtrack borrows heavily from the styles of local superstars Jul, FAYV, and Alonzo). The occasional success, but also his clashing personality, is at the center of the series as he also tries to settle debts with local dealers. Samia (Malou Khebizi) is an aspiring football star whose newfound riches are also a blessing in disguise, as they can’t make up for dispiriting news and a dissolving love life with Paul (Victor Bonnel). Jess (Sara Gançarski) is the hard-partying, popular girl who also has to contend with a fraught relationship with her mother. Finally, what is used by Gotesman and his writers (Carine Prévôt, Mahault Mollaret, Tania Gotesman, Steven Mitz) as the beating heart of the show is Léo (Calixte Broisin-Doutaz), a soft-spoken, unadjusted kid who is usually following along with the group’s plans and -many, many – arguments. This character, usually the one making a few mistakes, his friends have to fix, is where the troubles of Young Millionaires start.
As the undeniable chemistry of the group and its likability warrants a binge-watch, Young Millionaires is also lackluster when it comes to funny moments; the writing alternates tense, action-driven scenes with underwhelming, easy jokes from a sketch comedy show, usually coming from Léo and especially his brother Tom. In the role, Florian Lesieur tries to sell the most of a broad shtick but only manages to have audiences reaching for the fast-forward button. As the show is a ballet of characters trying to hustle or dupe each other or the world, eventually, before making amends when it comes to loved ones, twists stretch credibility, and problems and betrayals accumulate at the speed of a bullet. It tends to undermine coming-of-age themes such as first loves, betrayals, heightened feelings on missed opportunities, and the like, for the sake of untangling an ever-expanding mess and loose threads. The rather extreme lengths the group will go in order to keep its eye on the big prize are mostly played for entertainment, but quickly run dry and resort to desperate twists in order to maintain interest.
Watch Young Millionaires on Netflix if you like
- Family Business
- American Vandal
- Incoming
MVP of Young Millionaires
Jeanne Boudier as Victoire
The plot-heavy series leaves little room for the comedians or their characters to breathe, and as she is not as much onscreen as the main four characters, Jeanne Boudier finds the time to shine as Victoire, the somewhat naive ingenue roped in for financial glory and even greater life troubles. As the writing needs her to quickly change dynamics with the group, from hindrance to friendship to sisterhood, Boudier ensures wit, comic timing, and adept delivery of more dramatic scenes when her own secrets come to light.
Verdict
A breezy, often fun and fast-paced summer entertainment offering that throws too many twists and turns into this rags-to-riches story. A likable cast holds the show together.