La boum 2 (1982)

(On TV, May 2022) Feeling more like an episode than a sequel, La boum 2 takes us back to the family of the first film two years later, now with one extra family member (a mostly-inconsequential baby) and our teenage heroine ready for some serious romance. A young Sophie Marceau (with better hair) plays a fifteen-year-old who, coming back to school after a summer in Germany, gets more serious about dating, even as her parents undergo the sequel-mandated chill in their relationship. Clearly focused on breakout star Marceau, this sequel skimps on the titular parties as well, only awkwardly shoving one such sequence near the end as it to fulfil contractual obligations. Once again, Marceau is likable, Brigitte Fossey looks amazing and Denise Grey steals her scenes. (There’s even a young Lambert Wilson in the cast.)  Still, La boum 2 isn’t much of a film – it pleasantly continues the adventures of the characters from the previous film, so you need to be a fan in order to get the most out of this sequel.