Editing Seducing Doctor Lewis

{{Expand French|topic=cult|La_Grande_S%C3%A9duction|date=May 2013}}
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{{Infobox film
| name           = Seducing Doctor Lewis
| native_name    = {{infobox name module|fr|La grande séduction}}
| image          = LaGrandeSeduction.jpg
 
| alt            = 
| caption        = Movie poster
| director       = [[Jean-François Pouliot]]
| producer       = [[Roger Frappier]]<br>[[Luc Vandal]]
| writer         = [[Ken Scott (screenwriter)|Ken Scott]]
| screenplay     = 
| story          = 
| based_on       = 
| narrator       = 
| starring       = [[Raymond Bouchard]]<br>[[David Boutin (actor)|David Boutin]]<br>[[Benoît Brière]]<br>[[Lucie Laurier]]
| music          = Francois-Pierre Lue <br> Maxime Barzel <br> Paul-Étienne Côté
| cinematography = [[Allen Smith (cinematographer)|Allen Smith]]
| editing        = [[Dominique Fortin]]
| studio         = 
| distributor    = [[Alliance Atlantis]] (Canada)<br>[[Dogwoof Pictures]] (UK)<br>[[Wellspring Media]] (USA)
| released       = {{Film date|df=yes|2003|5|20}}
| runtime        = 108 minutes
| country        = Canada
| language       = French
| budget         = 
| gross          = $12,587,032<ref name="BOM">{{cite web|title=La Grande Seduction|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=lagrandeseduction.htm|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]]|accessdate=December 27, 2013}}</ref>
}}

'''''Seducing Doctor Lewis''''' ({{Langx|fr|La grande séduction|lit=The Great Seduction}}) is a [[2003 in film|2003]] [[Quebec]] [[comedy film]] and the first film directed by [[Jean-François Pouliot]].<ref name="hornaday">Hornaday, Ann (July 30, 2004). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26117-2004Jul29.html "Hook, Line and Hoodwinkers"]. ''Washington Post (washingtonpost.com)''.  Retrieved 03-06-2005.</ref> The script was written by [[Ken Scott (writer)|Ken Scott]]. It won the Audience Award at 2004 [[Sundance Film Festival]]. Starring in the movie are [[Raymond Bouchard]], [[Benoît Brière]], [[David Boutin (actor)|David Boutin]] and [[Lucie Laurier]].

==Plot==
The small fishing village Ste-Marie-la-Mauderne on the north coast of Quebec is in decline. Every resident collects welfare. To lure a company into building a plastic container factory nearby, they need to double their population of 120, have a resident doctor, and give a $50,000 bribe for the company owner.

[[Montreal]] plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher Lewis (David Boutin) gets pulled over for speeding by an officer, Réal Fournier (Jean-Pierre Gonthier), the former mayor of Ste-Marie-la-Mauderne who moved to the city because he, like most of the residents of Ste-Marie, couldn't get a job there. After finding cocaine on Dr. Lewis, Fournier agrees not arrest him for drug possession if Dr. Lewis will visit Ste-Marie-la-Mauderne for one month.

Germain Lesage (Raymond Bouchard), a welfare recipient himself and the new mayor, hatches a plan. The entire village will convince Dr. Lewis to stay. They tap his phone, and pretend to share his interests: [[cricket]], [[Jazz fusion|fusion jazz]], and all the same foods. Henri Giroux (Benoît Brière), the local banker whose sole job is to cash the townfolks' welfare cheques, leaves small amounts of money for Dr. Lewis to find as small measures to increase Dr. Lewis' happiness about being in town, and attempts to secure a loan through his bank for the bribe. Dr. Lewis likes the post office worker Ève Beauchemin (Lucie Laurier), but Ève knows he has a girlfriend, Brigitte, in Montreal.

The ruse works, but they cannot secure a loan. Henri fronts the money from his personal savings, after a bank executive tells him that he has a job only as a favour to his father, and that his position could easily be replaced by an [[Automated teller machine|ATM]]. When the plastics company owner arrives, everyone continues their elaborate trick, and convinces him to build the factory there. The owner is ready to sign, but insists that they must have a doctor.

When Dr. Lewis learns that Brigitte has been having an affair with his best friend Paul for three years, he proclaims that he will stay because everyone in the village is genuine. Germain feels bad for lying, and "lets him off the hook" by telling him another lie in that they have secured another person as a permanent doctor. Hurt, Dr. Lewis turns to Ève, who has disliked all the lying, and confesses all to him, including the phone tap. Dr. Lewis confronts Germain about the lies, with Germain confirming the accusations. When Dr. Lewis asks him if he will learn the game of cricket for real if he decides to stay, Germain replies "no". It is then that Dr. Lewis decides to stay. The factory is built, Ste-Marie-la-Mauderne is saved, everyone gains renewed pride, and Dr. Lewis has five years in which to woo Ève.

==Production==
Producer Roger Frappier wanted to film ''Seducing Doctor Lewis'' in Newfoundland. However, the film was eventually shot in [[Harrington Harbour, Quebec|Harrington Harbour]], [[Quebec]], [[Canada]], an island with a population of about 300.<ref>{{cite web|title=Quebec film La Grande Seduction gets triple remake|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/quebec-film-la-grande-seduction-gets-triple-remake-1.1070646|publisher=[[CBC News]]|accessdate=December 28, 2013|date=June 21, 2011}}</ref> The film's [[Film producer|producers]] felt the island looked too pretty to fill the role of a fishing village experiencing hard times, so they worsened its appearance in the movie.

==Awards==
*'''Winner''' - Sundance Film Festival: World Cinema Audience Award<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sundance.org/festival/press_industry/pdf/Sundance%20Film%20Festival%20Awards%201985-2007.pdf |title=SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL FILMS HONORED 1985-2007 |publisher=Sundance Institute |accessdate=17 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327033453/http://www.sundance.org/festival/press_industry/pdf/Sundance%20Film%20Festival%20Awards%201985-2007.pdf |archivedate=March 27, 2009 }}</ref> [[Genie Award]] – Cinematography; [[Prix Jutra]] – Supporting Actor ([[Pierre Collin]]), Supporting Actress (Desrochers), Editing, Cinematography, Art Director, Sound and Costumes.

==Remakes==
An English-language remake titled ''[[The Grand Seduction]]'' was released in 2013, starring [[Taylor Kitsch]] as Dr Lewis with [[Brendan Gleeson]], [[Mary Walsh (actress)|Mary Walsh]], [[Cathy Jones]], and [[Gordon Pinsent]] as town folks.<ref name=EngRemake>{{cite web|title=Taylor Kitsch and Brendan Gleeson to Star in 'The Grand Seduction'|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/taylor%20kitsch-brendan-gleeson-grand-seduction-355841|accessdate=10 May 2013}}</ref> The story's setting was moved to [[Newfoundland]].

A [[France|French]] remake ''Un village presque parfait'' ([[English language|English]]: ''An almost perfect village'') produced by Stéphane Meunier, was released in 2015. The action takes place in a small imaginary [[Pyrenees|Pyrenean]] village : Saint-Loin-la-Mauderne,<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.francebleu.fr/loisirs/evenements/france-bleu-alsace-recoit-l-equipe-du-film-un-village-presque-parfait|title= France Bleu Alsace reçoit l'équipe du film "Un village presque parfait|work= [[France Bleu]]|publisher= [[Radio France]]|language= French|date= January 23, 2015|accessdate= September 18, 2015}}</ref> which is twinned with Sainte-Marie-la-Mauderne from the original movie.

An Italian remake was released in 2016; titled ''{{interlanguage link|Un paese quasi perfetto|it}}'' ([[English language|English]]: ''An almost perfect village''), this version was directed by [[Massimo Gaudioso]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/quebec-film-la-grande-seduction-gets-triple-remake-1.1070646|title=Quebec film La Grande Seduction gets triple remake|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]|date=June 21, 2011|accessdate=May 26, 2024}}.</ref> It takes place in a small imaginary village called Pietramezzana (whose name was formed by merging the names of the two real towns [[Pietrapertosa]] and [[Castelmezzano]] in [[Basilicata]] where the film was shot<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.turismo.it/cultura/articolo/art/in-basilicata-gaudioso-crea-un-paese-quasi-perfetto-id-11020/6|title=In basilicata Gaudioso crea un paese quasi perfetto|language=it|publisher=[[GEDI Gruppo Editoriale]]|date= March 26, 2016|accessdate=May 26, 2024}}</ref>).

A Spanish-language remake titled ''[[The Great Seduction|La Gran Seducción]]'' (English: The Great Seduction) was released in 2023 on [[Netflix]]. Directed by Celso García and featuring [[Yalitza Aparicio]], the film is set in Mexico.

''Sainte-Marie-la-Mauderne'', a stage adaptation of the film, was staged by Théâtre Gilles-Vigneault in 2022, with a cast including [[Fayolle Jean Jr.]] as Dr. Lewis, [[Michel Rivard]] as Germain Lesage, and [[Normand Brathwaite]] as Yvon.<ref>Stéphanie Morin, [https://www.lapresse.ca/arts/theatre/2022-07-02/critique-sainte-marie-la-mauderne/mission-seduction-reussie.php "Mission séduction réussie"]. ''[[La Presse (Canadian newspaper)|La Presse]]''m July 2, 2022.</ref>

==Critical response==
In 2023, Barry Hertz of ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' named the film as one of the 23 best Canadian comedy films ever made.<ref name=hertz>Barry Hertz, [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/article-best-canadian-comedies/ "The 23 best Canadian comedies ever made"]. ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', June 28, 2023.</ref> It was also singled out in a sidebar as a favourite film of comedian [[Mark Critch]].<ref name=hertz/>

==See also==
* ''[[The Truman Show]]'', 1998 film

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|id=0366532|title=Seducing Doctor Lewis}}
*{{Rotten Tomatoes|seducing_doctor_lewis_2004}}

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[[Category:2003 films]]
[[Category:Canadian comedy films]]
[[Category:Sundance Film Festival award–winning films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Jean-François Pouliot]]
[[Category:Films set in Quebec]]
[[Category:Films shot in Quebec]]
[[Category:French-language Canadian films]]
[[Category:2000s Canadian films]]