Alice Taglioni
Léo
Overview
A maverick cop and a meticulous detective join forces with a charming ex-hacker to solve an officer's disappearance and save Nice from disaster.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
6 min readThe Buddy-Cop Genre Gets a French Makeover—But Does It Fit?
I’ll admit it: I went into Nice Girls with low expectations. Not because it’s a French action-comedy—those can be delightful, from Taxi to The Visitors—but because the buddy-cop genre has been flogged to death. The formula is so rigid it might as well come with a flowchart: two mismatched partners, forced to work together; a case that spirals into absurdity; a third-act chase scene that somehow involves a fruit stand.
The only real variable is whether the chemistry between the leads will make the clichés feel fresh or just exhausting. Nice Girls tries to flip the script by gender-swapping the leads, but the question lingers: can a film this formulaic ever feel like more than a checklist?
Noémie Saglio, the director, clearly knows the rules of the game. She’s worked in comedy before (The Hookup Plan), and she understands that the buddy-cop genre lives or dies on the rapport between its leads. Here, that burden falls on Alice Taglioni as Léo, the unkempt, chain-smoking French cop with a reputation for bending the rules, and Stéfi Celma as Mélanie, the by-the-book German detective sent to rein her in.
On paper, it’s a promising dynamic—think Lethal Weapon if Riggs were a disheveled woman in a leather jacket and Murtaugh were a woman who irons her socks. But somewhere between the script and the screen, that potential gets lost in translation.
The film’s biggest misstep isn’t its humor, though that’s where the critics have landed the hardest. It’s the pacing. The first act lurches from one tonal whiplash to another, as if Saglio and her co-writers couldn’t decide whether they were making a slapstick comedy or a gritty crime thriller.
One minute, Léo is drawing a penis on a whiteboard to mock Mélanie’s German precision; the next, she’s delivering a monologue about grief that feels lifted from a completely different movie. The shifts aren’t just jarring—they’re disorienting, like watching someone try to tap-dance in combat boots.
And yet. There’s something undeniably charming about the way Nice Girls leans into its own ridiculousness. The film isn’t trying to be Heat; it’s trying to be The Nice Guys, a movie that knew exactly how silly it was and leaned into it.
The problem is that The Nice Guys had a script that understood its own rhythms, where every joke landed because the film had already earned its audience’s trust. Nice Girls, by contrast, keeps tripping over its own feet. The humor isn’t just broad—it’s desperate, as if the film is terrified that if it slows down for even a second, we’ll realize we’re watching two women solve a murder while a hacker (Baptiste Lecaplain, doing his best "charming rogue" impression) flirts with them both.
Full Plot (Spoilers)
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This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsNetflix’s Nice Girls Brings Female-Led Action to the French Riviera
Netflix’s 2024 French action-comedy Nice Girls is turning heads—not just for its high-octane plot but for its bold, female-driven cast and the return of director Noémie Saglio to the genre. Set against the sun-soaked backdrop of Nice, the film follows Léo (Alice Taglioni), a self-proclaimed "best cop on the French Riviera," as she defies orders to investigate the murder of her colleague and surrogate brother, Ludo, in Hamburg. Teaming up with German cop Mélanie (Stéfi Celma), Léo uncovers a threat looming over Nice—one that forces the duo into an unlikely partnership 
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A Female-Led Action-Comedy with a Twist
Nice Girls stands out in Netflix’s international slate for its blend of action and comedy, a signature of Saglio’s filmography. The director, known for her work on Plan Coeur (The Hookup Plan), brings a fresh perspective to the genre, centering the story on two women whose dynamic drives the plot. Taglioni, a veteran of French cinema, and Celma, a rising star, lead a cast that includes Noémie Lvovsky as Léo’s skeptical boss and Baptiste Lecaplain in a supporting role .
The film’s premise—a rogue cop teaming up with an outsider to solve a crime—isn’t new, but the setting and tone set it apart. Nice, with its glamorous yet gritty reputation, provides a striking contrast to the darker themes of the investigation. The movie’s mix of humor and action suggests a balance between The Heat and Beverly Hills Cop, but with a distinctly French flair .
Behind the Scenes: Netflix’s French Gamble
Nice Girls is part of Netflix’s push into European originals, particularly in France, where the streamer has been expanding its local productions. The film was announced as a 2024 release, with production wrapping in time for a global debut. While details about the budget or filming challenges remain scarce, the project aligns with Netflix’s strategy of investing in mid-budget genre films with international appeal .
The cast’s chemistry is a key selling point. Taglioni and Celma’s partnership is central to the film’s success, and early buzz suggests their dynamic—one a brash local cop, the other a disciplined outsider—could be the heart of the movie. Lvovsky, a frequent collaborator with Saglio, adds gravitas as Léo’s superior, while Lecaplain’s comedic chops may provide levity .
What We Still Don’t Know
Despite the hype, some details remain under wraps. The exact release date hasn’t been confirmed beyond a 2024 window, and Netflix has yet to unveil a trailer or promotional stills. Rumors about the film’s tone—whether it leans more toward Deadpool-style irreverence or a grittier Taken-esque thriller—are unconfirmed, though the director’s past work suggests a lighter touch .
There’s also speculation about the film’s reception. French action-comedies have struggled to break out globally, but Netflix’s marketing muscle could change that. If Nice Girls delivers on its promise of sharp humor and high-stakes action, it might carve out a niche for itself in the crowded streaming landscape.
Why It Matters
Nice Girls isn’t just another cop movie—it’s a test of whether female-led action can thrive in a genre often dominated by male protagonists. With Saglio at the helm and a cast of seasoned performers, the film has the potential to be a sleeper hit. Whether it lives up to the hype, however, will depend on how well it balances its comedic and dramatic elements.
For now, fans of French cinema and action-comedies will have to wait for more details. But if the snippets are any indication, Nice Girls could be one of Netflix’s most entertaining international releases of the year.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.