Paris je t'aime

Starring: Steve Buscemi, Miranda Richardson, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Nick Nolte, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bob Hoskins, Olga Kurylenko, Elijah Wood, Emily Mortimer, Rufus Sewell, Natalie Portman, Gerard Depardieu, Ben Gazzara, Gena Rowlands, Margo Martindale
Directed by: Olivier Assayas, Frédéric Auburtin, Emmanuel Benbihy, Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Gérard Depardieu, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Bruno Podalydès, Walter Salles, Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Daniela Thomas, Tom Tykwer, Gus Van Sant
Rating: R
Genre: Romance
2006

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: 18 short films about love in Paris are collected in an anthology that examines romance in the most romantic city in the world.

Review:

Tim: Anthology films are a difficult breed. By their very nature, they are disconnected and disjointed- a number of small stories, each existing in their own right, but are supposed to come together to paint a mosaic of something larger. In Paris je t'aime, we have eighteen stories about all different types of people in various places around Paris, France. The problem with this movie is that some stories are beautiful and memorable- others are forgettable and weak. And so, the movie is pulled upwards by some, and downwards by others. And, at the end, we are expected to appreciate the journey despite the bumps in the road. This doesn't quite happen. In some ways, this is a beautiful movie. In others, it is an example where the sum is less than the parts.

The most important aspect of this movie was to get enough talented actors and directors to bring the stories to life. It is indeed an impressive list of talented people involved with this film. Sadly, they don't all give good performances, but as a whole, it is nice to see so many familiar names and faces. I am not going to mention the entire cast because it is too extensive, but I did want to highlight a few people. I didn't love Steve Buscemi's story, but I have to admit I was very entertained while watching it. He really gets to showcase his acting, and I was impressed with him. Nick Nolte adds very little, in what was surprisingly, one of the weakest stories of the whole film. I wasn't blown away by Maggie Gyllenhaal, either, who was saddled with another weaker story. Bob Hoskins was good in a decent story. I actually liked Olga Kurylenko and Elijah Wood in the doesn't-really-fit vampire story. It felt out of place, but it was also a welcome break. Emily Mortimer and Rufus Sewell had a very interesting story, done well by director Alexander Payne. I was slightly disappointed with Natalie Portman's story. It wasn't one of the weaker ones, but I thought it had more potential. I did want to single out the final story of the film, brought beautifully to life by an understated yet wonderful performance by Margo Martindale. It was a touching, beautiful story that wonderfully summed up in the entire movie and made you fall in love with Paris like no other story. It was probably the highlight of the film for me, and a perfect ending.

Paris je t'aime is certainly an interesting and worthwhile film. However, I didn't love it. There were too many ups and downs- the great stories weren't given nearly enough time, and the weak stories felt like they dragged on and on. Each segment was interesting, but there was no building, no forward momentum. Each piece existed mostly separate from the others, which made this movie interesting, but difficult to love. I certainly appreciate the unique qualities of this movie, but I think in the end, it had more weaknesses than strengths.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



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