Paris Je T'aime (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'Paris, Je T'aime' is a romantic film directed by ... 21 directors. The film is broken up into 18 'romance' segments (each about 6 minutes long); and each segment is directed by a different director(s) than the previous. Simply put, the setting is Paris, city of love & lights. Each segment, or vignette, celebrates the joys, sorrows, unexpectedness, & ultimate awakenings of real 'love' in Paris. It's easy to say that some segments are better than others, but that's exactly what happens here.
Segment #1) Montmartre, directed by Bruno Podalydes. A woman faints near a man's car. He comes to her aid & falls for her. This is a good segment, a great starting off point. #2) Quais de Siene, directed by Paul Berges & Gurinder Chadha. Though he hangs out with friends who do nothing but jeer at women all day, a young man breaks from his pack & strikes up a relationship with a young Muslim girl. This is another small, intimate, but beautiful segment. #3) Le Marais, directed by Gus Van Sant. A young Frenchman (Gaspard Ulliel) finds himself attracted to/forms a kinship with a male print shop worker. Little does he know that the print shop worker speaks little French & doesn't follow what he is going on & on about. This is a segment I could take or leave, really.
#4) Tuileres, directed by the Coen Brothers. In a train station, an American tourist (Steve Buscemi) becomes involved in an argument btwn. a young couple. His making eye contact with the girl was a big mistake. I didn't care for this vignette very much. #5) Loin du 16e, directed by Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas. A young woman (Catalina Sandino Moreno) sings a Spanish lullaby to 2 different babies in 2 different places. This is a mysterious vignette, and one I can't make a decision upon. #6) Porte de Choisy, directed by Christopher Doyle. A beauty products salesman makes a call on a Chinatown salon run by a woman. To me, this is a very disposable segment. #7) Bastille, directed by Isabel Coixet. Prepared to leave his marriage for a younger woman, a man changes his mind & decides to stay with his wife (Miranda Richardson) after discovering that she is dying. Because of this, their love is rekindled. I got a lot out of this one.
#8) Place des Victoires, directed by Nobuhiro Suwa. A mother (Juliette Binoche), grieving over her little boy's recent passing, is comforted by an imaginary cowboy (Willem Dafoe). Both actors are effective here. #9) Tour Eiffel, directed by Sylvain Chomet. A boy explains how his parent (both are Mimes) met in prison & fell in love. This is a cute, fanciful story. I quite liked it. #10) Parc Monceau, directed by Alfonso Cuaron. An older man (Nick Nolte) & a younger man walk and discuss his meeting of 'Gaspard'. We eventually learn that she is his daughter, & Gaspard is the grandson he may not approve of. All Nolte does is smoke & ramble here. #11) Quartier des Enfants Rouges, directed by Olivier Assayas. An American actress (Maggie Gyllenhaal) falls for either her drug dealer and/or her drugs. Gyllenhaal is wonderful to watch, but the segment signifies very little.
#12) Place des fetes, directed by Oliver Schmitz. An African man, dying from a stab wound asks a female paramedic for a cup of coffee. A flashback shows that he had fallen in love with her at 1st sight (some time ago). By the time she remembers him, the coffee arrives, but his fate is sealed. This is one of my favorite segments; it's very well crafted. #13) Pigalle, directed by Richard LaGravenese. An older couple (Bob Hoskins, Fanny Ardant) act out a fantasy argument for a prostitute in order to put the spark back in their marriage. This is one of the more unique vignettes; very enjoyable. #14) Quartier de la Madeleine, directed by Vincenzo Natali. A young tourist (Elijah Wood) falls in love with a female vampire. This is a highly stylized (almost Sin City-esque) segment. By its end, I fell in love with it. #15) Pere-Lachaise, directed by Wes Craven. While visiting a French cemetery, a woman (Emily Mortimer) breaks up with her fiancee (Rufus Sewell), only to redeem himself with the aid of the ghost of Oscar Wilde. Bizarre, but well-handled segment here.
#16) Faubourg Saint-Denis, directed by Tom Tykwer. After believing that his girlfriend has broken up with him, a blind man reflects (in fast-speed flashback) upon the relationship. But she's a struggling actress (Natalie Portman), and the source of her argument with him may or may not have been real. Ambiguous vignette, and a winner, as far as I'm concerned. #17) Quartier Latin, directed by Gerard Depardieu & Frederic Auburtin. A separated couple (Ben Gazzara, Gena Rowlands) meet at a bar one last time before they officially divorce. This is a mature, well-written vignette, indeed. And finally, #18) 14e arrondissiment, directed by Alexander Payne. An American tourist (Margo Martindale) travels to Europe for the 1st time in her life, alone. She recites to us (in rough French) her lonely sorrows, but also an awakening of her soul. It's the perfect way to close the film.
The transitions btwn. each vignette are smooth. The ending of one segment, makes way (makes sense) for the next one to begin. A lot of the segments are enchanting, melancholy, bittersweet, intuitive & poignant; they offer the best human experiences. I enjoyed seeing many corners, alleyways, & restaurants in Paris. And like any good story, the one's with emotional resonance are the best. That said, even the best one's were good to end after only 6 minutes. This film is an acquired taste (both for its design & that half of it is in French). My only real drawback to the experience (in entirety) is that even though I found individual segments interesting, I always had an anticipation of what was next (looking at my watch & figuring, ehh, 25 minutes left, probably 4 more vignettes, etc.). After watching 18 appetizers (without getting a full, meaty French cuisine) I suppose I longed for more. Overall, this is a mildly pleasurable film to pop into your DVD player.
Segment #1) Montmartre, directed by Bruno Podalydes. A woman faints near a man's car. He comes to her aid & falls for her. This is a good segment, a great starting off point. #2) Quais de Siene, directed by Paul Berges & Gurinder Chadha. Though he hangs out with friends who do nothing but jeer at women all day, a young man breaks from his pack & strikes up a relationship with a young Muslim girl. This is another small, intimate, but beautiful segment. #3) Le Marais, directed by Gus Van Sant. A young Frenchman (Gaspard Ulliel) finds himself attracted to/forms a kinship with a male print shop worker. Little does he know that the print shop worker speaks little French & doesn't follow what he is going on & on about. This is a segment I could take or leave, really.
#4) Tuileres, directed by the Coen Brothers. In a train station, an American tourist (Steve Buscemi) becomes involved in an argument btwn. a young couple. His making eye contact with the girl was a big mistake. I didn't care for this vignette very much. #5) Loin du 16e, directed by Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas. A young woman (Catalina Sandino Moreno) sings a Spanish lullaby to 2 different babies in 2 different places. This is a mysterious vignette, and one I can't make a decision upon. #6) Porte de Choisy, directed by Christopher Doyle. A beauty products salesman makes a call on a Chinatown salon run by a woman. To me, this is a very disposable segment. #7) Bastille, directed by Isabel Coixet. Prepared to leave his marriage for a younger woman, a man changes his mind & decides to stay with his wife (Miranda Richardson) after discovering that she is dying. Because of this, their love is rekindled. I got a lot out of this one.
#8) Place des Victoires, directed by Nobuhiro Suwa. A mother (Juliette Binoche), grieving over her little boy's recent passing, is comforted by an imaginary cowboy (Willem Dafoe). Both actors are effective here. #9) Tour Eiffel, directed by Sylvain Chomet. A boy explains how his parent (both are Mimes) met in prison & fell in love. This is a cute, fanciful story. I quite liked it. #10) Parc Monceau, directed by Alfonso Cuaron. An older man (Nick Nolte) & a younger man walk and discuss his meeting of 'Gaspard'. We eventually learn that she is his daughter, & Gaspard is the grandson he may not approve of. All Nolte does is smoke & ramble here. #11) Quartier des Enfants Rouges, directed by Olivier Assayas. An American actress (Maggie Gyllenhaal) falls for either her drug dealer and/or her drugs. Gyllenhaal is wonderful to watch, but the segment signifies very little.
#12) Place des fetes, directed by Oliver Schmitz. An African man, dying from a stab wound asks a female paramedic for a cup of coffee. A flashback shows that he had fallen in love with her at 1st sight (some time ago). By the time she remembers him, the coffee arrives, but his fate is sealed. This is one of my favorite segments; it's very well crafted. #13) Pigalle, directed by Richard LaGravenese. An older couple (Bob Hoskins, Fanny Ardant) act out a fantasy argument for a prostitute in order to put the spark back in their marriage. This is one of the more unique vignettes; very enjoyable. #14) Quartier de la Madeleine, directed by Vincenzo Natali. A young tourist (Elijah Wood) falls in love with a female vampire. This is a highly stylized (almost Sin City-esque) segment. By its end, I fell in love with it. #15) Pere-Lachaise, directed by Wes Craven. While visiting a French cemetery, a woman (Emily Mortimer) breaks up with her fiancee (Rufus Sewell), only to redeem himself with the aid of the ghost of Oscar Wilde. Bizarre, but well-handled segment here.
#16) Faubourg Saint-Denis, directed by Tom Tykwer. After believing that his girlfriend has broken up with him, a blind man reflects (in fast-speed flashback) upon the relationship. But she's a struggling actress (Natalie Portman), and the source of her argument with him may or may not have been real. Ambiguous vignette, and a winner, as far as I'm concerned. #17) Quartier Latin, directed by Gerard Depardieu & Frederic Auburtin. A separated couple (Ben Gazzara, Gena Rowlands) meet at a bar one last time before they officially divorce. This is a mature, well-written vignette, indeed. And finally, #18) 14e arrondissiment, directed by Alexander Payne. An American tourist (Margo Martindale) travels to Europe for the 1st time in her life, alone. She recites to us (in rough French) her lonely sorrows, but also an awakening of her soul. It's the perfect way to close the film.
The transitions btwn. each vignette are smooth. The ending of one segment, makes way (makes sense) for the next one to begin. A lot of the segments are enchanting, melancholy, bittersweet, intuitive & poignant; they offer the best human experiences. I enjoyed seeing many corners, alleyways, & restaurants in Paris. And like any good story, the one's with emotional resonance are the best. That said, even the best one's were good to end after only 6 minutes. This film is an acquired taste (both for its design & that half of it is in French). My only real drawback to the experience (in entirety) is that even though I found individual segments interesting, I always had an anticipation of what was next (looking at my watch & figuring, ehh, 25 minutes left, probably 4 more vignettes, etc.). After watching 18 appetizers (without getting a full, meaty French cuisine) I suppose I longed for more. Overall, this is a mildly pleasurable film to pop into your DVD player.