If we do not know that Bernard Tapie was once called Bernard Tapy and dreamed of becoming a star of French song, the introduction to the series that Netflix dedicates to the industrialist is confusing. It is one of thousands of careers the controversial businessman unsuccessfully pursued. He will maintain a (one-sided) rivalry with Michel Polnareff. Only a few years later, ruined, he made his fortune by buying bankrupt companies for a symbolic franc, showing his strong nerves since he did not have the codes of the high society with which he socialized.
He is ambition personified. In this seven-episode biographical miniseries, his professional setbacks and successes, their intertwining with his private life, his beliefs and his doubts are impeccably portrayed. We would almost like this attentive father, this boss who is initially benevolent towards the small hands that run the businesses that he makes his own after many bitter failures.
A biopic that rings true
Then, the success was hard to taste, the crossroads. “ What do you prefer: becoming a big captain of industry or remaining a small boss adored by his employees? » All the contradictions of this man of abundance then manifest themselves, especially in his relationship with a father whose approval he constantly seeks, with all the condescension that characterizes him. As a unionized heating engineer, he is a painful, lasting and indispensable reminder of the proletarian environment from which Bernard Tapie came.
The cast is led by a more than convincing Laurent Lafitte, who is almost surprising in this role of a controversial businessman. At his side, Joséphine Japy brilliantly plays his partner Dominique. Even if unnecessary dialogue sometimes weighs down the scenes, the biopic rings true despite obvious liberties in the scriptwriting. In a controlled climb, Bernard Tapie appears to fly away, aiming higher and higher until his wings burn out.
