Walter Przybylowski

Paris, Je T'aime

It’s to be expected these days that a film that so completely satisfies audience members expectations of what great cinema can do has been released in the states with little excitement. Here we have 18 shorts directed by some of the world's most distinguished directors as well as a few new filmmakers, all centered around the idea of Paris and love, each story only given minutes to unfold. While what appear to be barriers, curtailing the story potential of each director, has instead opened up the field of what can be done in the movies. To describe the details of each short would be criminal, what I can say is that Alexander Payne’s short might be his best film yet and a masterpiece for the ages. The tone changes between shorts with just enough forethought to never get boring or gimmicky (which is always a threat with films of this type.) Only two of the eighteen fail, and so brief are their running times that the film as a whole swallows them up and continues to enchant viewers seemingly without effort. Similar to the main character of Payne’s “14th arrondissement” viewers reconnect to humanity through Paris, Je T’aime and in turn leave the theater wondering at life with all of its simple and complicated pleasures.

SteveGon

Re: Paris, Je T'aime

Thought about picking this up from Xploited Cinema but passed in favor of something else due to the mixed reviews I'd read. Thanks for the positive comments though, I might throw it in with my next order.

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Michael Reuben

Re: Paris, Je T'aime

I'm also a fan. It's one of the most successful "anthology" films I've ever seen. In addition to Alexander Payne's contribution (which benefits from starring the much-underrated Margo Martindale, who narrates the entire segment in flat, American-classroom-accented French), I particularly liked the Coen Bros. segment starring Steve Buscemi. It's an elaborate reworking of an old Sid Caesar sketch, and it's hilarious. In another era, Buscemi could have been one of the great silent film comedians.

I also loved the segment directed by Gérard Depardieu and starring Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara as a couple meeting to finalize a divorce. These two share so much history that they're able to convey, without any special effort, a sense of many years spent together. And fans of Children of Men will appreciate the segment directed by Alfonso Cuarón, which consists of one long tracking shot on the Parisian sidewalks, while we eavesdrop on a conversation between a man (Nick Nolte) and a woman (Ludivine Sagnier) whose relationship is gradually revealed.

M.

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Marc Colella

Re: Paris, Je T'aime

I enjoyed this as well. It's one of my favorites for 2006.

Most of the vignettes worked well, except for a couple. I didn't care for the "Quartier de la Madeleine" vignette due to it's subject (seemed really out of place) and I can't stand Elijah Wood. Although I liked Tom Tykwer's segment, I would have preferred he used another actress instead of Natalie Portman.

The closing vignette was perfect.

Such a wonderful little film.

Kirk Tsai

Re: Paris, Je T'aime

I enjoyed it too, some segments more than others. I'm not sure the sum is greater than the parts, but maybe I just don't enjoy these type of films as much.

There were a couple misses, such as Christopher Doyle and Wes Craven's segments, but most are fairly good, if not all memorable. I too liked Gerard Depardieu and the Coens brother's segment (another segment with Elijah Wood also evoked silent cinema), as well as a segment with Miranda Richardson. Payne's segment is certainly a standout; a portion of my crowd was laughing pretty hard at Martindale's accent. She's a signature Payne character, a nobody who appears sad and pathetic, and yet become someone the audience really empathizes with.

ChrisWiggles

Re: Paris, Je T'aime

I read a bunch of mixed reviews about this one, but it was WELL worth the viewing. A couple of the shorts fell flat, but there were so many fantastic ones, and some very funny ones too, that overall it was a very enjoyable film. Well worth the viewing, and I think from the variety it'd be hard for anyone to be dissatisfied. I personally thought the Gerard Depardieu (sp?) one was the best scene, quite funny and very well done.

Anyway, very recommended. I'm very dubious of the whole-bunch-of-shorts-as-one-movie thing, but it actually worked really really well here. I think mainly just because so many of the parts were so entertaining and interesting. It's still not really a coherent whole though, but it doesn't matter.

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Bob Turnbull

Re: Paris, Je T'aime

I enjoyed this a great deal as well and already mentioned it in the "Track The Films You Watched" thread. I found the segments on loss to be the most interesting (particularly the Miranda Richardson one), but really enjoyed just about all of them. Fine performances and not too many directorial flourishes to set any of the stories apart too much. This kept the anthology feeling like a coherent film (somewhat anyway).

I hear what you're saying, but I kinda liked that one because it was just so damn kooky. Maybe I've seen too much Seijun Suzuki...

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DavidPla

Re: Paris, Je T'aime

There's a trailer for the "american" version of this; New York, I Love You. What stood out to me about Paris, je t'aime was how each short looked and felt different. The problem, at least from the trailer, is that everything looks the same.. almost a Sex and the City episode vibe.

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Michael Reuben

Re: Paris, Je T'aime

Hard to tell. The trailer for Paris, Je T'Aime made the anthology look more uniform than it turned out to be, and when you look at the list of directors they've assembled, it's hard to imagine the results for New York will be any different. Even with the same crew and editor, there's just no way Brett Ratner, Fatih Akin and Mira Nair (to pick three names) would make the same kind of film.

M.

"Most people never have to face the fact that, at the right time and the right place, they're capable of anything." -- Chinatown

"What kind of movies would there be if everyone in them had to do what we thought they should do?" -- Roger Ebert

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Mikel_Cooperman

Re: Paris, Je T'aime

Would liked to see more of the Gus Van Sants characters.

Jason Seaver

Re: Paris, Je T'aime

Really? Wow. That's the part of Paris, je t'aime that nearly elicited violence from me. Different strokes.

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