Paris, Je T'Aime (2006)

nice movie if you want to reminesce about Paris - story lines dont tie in together

Wish the stories tied in some - some worked some a little obscure or tried too hard to be creative July 22, 2008

Too many Americans in Paris ...

This movie started out very well, very touching and absolutely riveting. The opening stories had my complete attention and even if they seemed `well-acted' they had a ring of sincerity and honesty about them. The story about the woman fainting and then getting a ride from the nervous and always single bachelor to the woman who sings to her child with love and then moments later sings the same song to a different child in complete apathy was heart-wrenching and a little hard to watch.

But then, somewhere along the way, someone thought it was a good idea to start to bloat the screen with bloated, train-wreck television Americans and other over-exposed celebs. Leading the assault with Nick Nolte looking and sounding like he did the night he got pulled over in Malibu.

Then we have to endure a coke addled Maggie Gyllenhaal in her most ridiculous appearance on film yet. Yes ... playing herself as a drug addled American Film Actress abroad. Good lord, people can it get anymore mundane than Maggie Gyllenhaal not only acting flat, but being her usual flat performing self? She's made a few gems along the way with Secretary and Donnie Darko, but the bulk of her work is forgettable. What next ... a two hour movie with her sleeping, shot with a green night-vision camera? I wouldn't be surprised if someone is trying to pitch that project right now. And then roll out a few more celebs like Elijah Wood, Natalie Portman, Willem Dafoe, Gena Rowlands, Rufus Sewell, Bob Hoskins, Maggie Gyllenhaal, ad infinitum ad naseum. The end result being that whatever integrity this film had and whatever level of sincerity about love that there was in the beginning gets completely flushed down the toilet and wiped off the coke mirror laying on the trailer make-up counter.

Perhaps if they would've left the A-list / B-list people alone after Steve Buscemi, who was actually good in this, it would've been a lot better.

If the film had a lot less `cameo appearances' of these over-paid and over-exposed celebrities and more stories of everyday people in Paris, this movie would've ended up being one of the great classic films of this age. If they thought that star-power and name recognition was a good addition to this, they were wrong. I found more interest in watching Winged Migration. If you want to see a really good film about falling in love in France - try 37°2 Le Matin, or Betty Blue as it was titled for English speakers.


July 16, 2008

Great human taste

It is an amazing point of view of what we are, the humans. I think not only in Paris but indeed it is the city which underlines all the people life sensations. June 28, 2008

Great tour of Paris life

The stories were sometimes mediocre, some were very good. They all told a story in a way as if your livings bits of your life in Paris rather than being on a tour. I enjoyed it. June 15, 2008

Left with a feeling of bewilderment

While Paris, Je T'aime includes an all-star cast of famous actresses and actors along with many great directors, the films didn't necessarily relay the message within the title. Yes, they were set in Paris, however all the short films were very loose in structure.

It is inevitable that some of the short films were going to be better than the others, so I would not rush out to buy this, but it will not be a waste of time if you're curious to watch it. June 14, 2008

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