Paris (2008)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jim H

  
  Generally, I judge films like <i>Paris</i> against the "Altman Standard." If the film comes close to linking the characters in the clever and interesting ways that Altman accomplished in <i>Short Cuts</i>, then it works for me. And… More
  Generally, I judge films like <i>Paris</i> against the "Altman Standard." If the film comes close to linking the characters in the clever and interesting ways that Altman accomplished in <i>Short Cuts</i>, then it works for me. And <i>Paris</i> attempts to reach for the Altman Standard, despite the fact that the title would lead one to believe that it is attempting an homage to the city in the vein of <Paris, Je T'aime</i> or <i>New York, I Love You</i>. Here we have a brother and sister dealing with the former's life-threatening illness, a gang of fruit-mongers seeking sex/love, and a professor obsessing over a student. But thrown in haphazardly and failing to connect to the other stories in substantive ways are a racist baker and a group of African would-be immigrants. It is with these stories, tangentially related but ultimately unnecessary, that the film fails to reach the Altman Standard. Additionally, I detected a degree of misogyny in the film's portrayal of women. Most of the men go through complex existential crises, but with the exception of Elise, played by the always charming and lovely Juliette Binoche, and possibly Caroline, the women in this film are either flakes or sluts. Overall, <i>Paris</i> is a good film, but it falls short in a couple key areas.

• Nicki M

  
  Liked the beautiful shots of Paris more than the actual story. It was okay, but it really wore out it's welcome at over 2 hours. Good cast and made up of quite a few characters whose lives overlap. Some of the characters more interesting than others. Fans of French films will… More
  Liked the beautiful shots of Paris more than the actual story. It was okay, but it really wore out it's welcome at over 2 hours. Good cast and made up of quite a few characters whose lives overlap. Some of the characters more interesting than others. Fans of French films will like this, but I wouldn't recommend it to appeal to all.

• Dean M

  
  Charming, chic and quintessentially Parisian. Juliette Binoche, Romain Duris and supporting Melanie Laurent make the charming performances in this full-drama, emotional and inspiring ode to <i>Paris</i> because I know them well in their latest foreign-language arthouse… More
  Charming, chic and quintessentially Parisian. Juliette Binoche, Romain Duris and supporting Melanie Laurent make the charming performances in this full-drama, emotional and inspiring ode to <i>Paris</i> because I know them well in their latest foreign-language arthouse films. Director-writer Cédric Klapisch has done something marvelous here, a film full of ideas and humanity, yet one that somehow enables us to engage with and care for so many complex characters without ever having to resort to stereotypes. It's a great achievement ? and a glorious movie about that city to which we must all return in our dreams: Paris.

• Jake .

  
  I was not totally sure how much I was liking Paris until the film was over. Storywise, there really is not anything. The movie is all over the place and really does not make much sense. Every scene is secluded and impressionistic; but very deeply felt. That is what really stood out to… More
  I was not totally sure how much I was liking Paris until the film was over. Storywise, there really is not anything. The movie is all over the place and really does not make much sense. Every scene is secluded and impressionistic; but very deeply felt. That is what really stood out to me, the sheer emotional impact every scene carried. In many ways the film is incredibly depressing and pessimistic, but there is still a glimmer of hope, the promise of redemption. This is not a film to look back upon and remember the story, or the cast, or any of the details. The only thing that is enduring is the emotion. That is enough to make for an extreamely good movie, but, personally, as much as I loved it, I think the film needed a bit more of a backbone. Paris is a long movie, and you would completely justified in saying that it is boring, but, with an open mind, it is worth watching. It will, gently, and with the utmost sensitivity, crawl under your skin, tickle your heartstrings, make you laugh, make you cry.

• Walter M

  
  "Paris" starts with a shot of two of France's national treasures - the Eiffel Tower and Fabrice Luchini. You know you're in trouble when a little old lady is faster than you going up a flight of stairs. That is especially true for Pierre(Romain Duris) when he… More
  "Paris" starts with a shot of two of France's national treasures - the Eiffel Tower and Fabrice Luchini. You know you're in trouble when a little old lady is faster than you going up a flight of stairs. That is especially true for Pierre(Romain Duris) when he is diagnosed with a critical heart condition, badly needing a transplant. His sister Elise(Juliette Binoche), a social worker, takes some time off work and even moves in to take care of him. But bringing along her brood is probably not going to help much. The only thing that does makes him feel better is looking out on Paris from his balcony, especially when the beautiful Laetitia(Melanie Laurent) is in her apartment across the way. But she has other things on her mind, like Roland(Fabrice Luchini), her history professor, who is secretly sexually harassing her via texting. Roland is actually quite depressed these days with his father dying and selling out to television. At least, he can celebrate his brother Philippe(Francois Cluzet) about to become a father for the first time. While "Paris" has a certain amount of charm and a good cast, there is also no denying that it is too long and something of a mess that is literally all over the map. There are scenes in Cameroon which like much of the movie links tangentially, instead of being part of an organic whole. The market is a fine starting place but many of the characters are given little time to establish themselves, which leaves the movie primarily to Elise and Roland. Both are linked by common themes of loneliness with death hanging over everybody, as if the next time could be the last in a city where the new is constantly replacing the old and nobody tragically has any sense of history.

• Daniel P

  
  Despite the heartache, accidents and unhappiness, I would live in this film if I could. Cédric Klapisch's <i>Paris</i> brilliantly and subtly intertwines vignettes - characters from across the city and beyond, scratching below their surfaces to explore their desires,… More
  Despite the heartache, accidents and unhappiness, I would live in this film if I could. Cédric Klapisch's <i>Paris</i> brilliantly and subtly intertwines vignettes - characters from across the city and beyond, scratching below their surfaces to explore their desires, regrets, hopes. It has a wide scope, yet always feels intimate. It's a love-letter to the city, yes, but is not overly idealistic and though the city looks picture-perfect beautiful, that doesn't mean the people who inhabit it aren't miserable, numb, or angst-ridden. Pierre, as played by the always fantastic Romain Duris, is not un-ironically the heart of the film. Suffering from a serious and life-threatening condition, he lives through others - walking to his balcony on freezing cold mornings he looks down at the city below and imagines what lives the people in cars, on park benches and behind partially closed blinds must lead. Of course, over the film's length there are reunions, shared understandings, loves found and lost, and purposes renewed or reinvigorated. Despite the familiar trajectory <i>Paris</i> continually feels fresh, even when indulging in such clichés as the affair between a professor with a midlife crises and an aspiring student, or a soon-to-be father who wonders if his life was all it was meant to be. A lot of this is down to an exceptionally good cast who generally keep things understated, some stunning photography and skilful editing, and a truly sublime music score. By the time the perfect ending rolled around, I was truly captivated.

• Janice :

  
  Waaaaay too long for what could easily have been just over one hour long. Images are crystal clear and absolutely breath-taking, though. Romain Duris owns this film. Apart from his performance, this remains rather bland for my taste. Superb ending, although I'm not sure… More
  Waaaaay too long for what could easily have been just over one hour long. Images are crystal clear and absolutely breath-taking, though. Romain Duris owns this film. Apart from his performance, this remains rather bland for my taste. Superb ending, although I'm not sure it's because I was eager to finish the film or because it actually was, indeed, poetic and inspiring. Briefly, this only inspires mixed feelings in me.

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