Paris, je t’aime

Review by Loc

In the wave of summer blockbusters, that crushing weight of transforming robots, loopy pirates, and nerdy webslingers, sometimes a little foreign film is a nice way to cleanse the pallet. But honestly, we don’t get too many small foreign films. The flicks that makes it over here are probably the bigger hits, so while we get to partake in the goodness of foreign cinema, we also get to experience the very best stuff from other parts of the world. So what about this movie focused on the city of love, Paris? Quick hit: lots of stories that seem even longer than possible.

Paris, je t’aime is an interesting concept: take 18 directors, give them five minutes to tell a story about love in Paris, sit back and watch the results. The stories range from comical to campy, romantic to bittersweet, all designed to tell a quick story about love. In one piece, you get the reflections of a worn-down couple on the way to divorce. In another, you see the blossoming bud of a relationship. You have missed love, tourist voyeur love, vampire love, ghost-inspired love, lots of different shades.

The roster of directors is a who’s who. Granted, my own American-based viewing habits left me unfamiliar with the majority of the artists. However, pieces by the Cohen brothers, Wes Craven, Gus Van Sant, Alfonso Cuaron, and Gerard Depardieu, along with performances by Natalie Portman, Willem Dafoe, Miranda Richardson, and Nick Nolte, gave the film some familiar moments. In all honesty, allowing the movie to fade into your consciousness makes it even better. The stories are mostly intimate little diddies and being distracted by which director you’re on or who’s making a cameo takes you out of the moment.

Overall, Paris, je t’aime is a decent flick. Some of the shorts are clever, some are entertaining, but as a whole, most are just there. And for being only five minutes each, the entire movie seems to drag on for a while. Maybe the depth of each story begins to take its toll, as you have to invest in over a dozen different plotlines and each of these directors is skillful enough to draw you into their little piece of the world. It does get difficult to make it through the entire film without squirming a little bit. Out of 18 short stories, Paris, je t’aime keeps you going for 13. It’s doable, but I didn’t t’amie le movie.