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In PARIS, JE T'AIME, celebrated directors from around the world, including the Coen Brothers, Gus Van Sant, Gurinder Chadha, Wes Craven, Walter Salles, Alexander Payne and Olivier Assayas, have come together to portray Paris in a way never before imagined. Made by a team of contributors as cosmopolitan as the city itself, this portrait of the city is as diverse as its creators' backgrounds and nationalities. With each director telling the story of an unusual encounter in oe of the city's neighborhoods, the vignettes go beyond the 'postcard' view of Paris to portray aspects of the city rarely seen on the big screen. Racial tensions stand next to paranoid visions of the city seen from the perspective of an American tourist. A young foreign worker moves from her own domestic situation into her employer's bourgeois environs. An American starlet finds escape as she is shooting a movie. A man is torn between his wife and his lover. A young man working in a print shop sees and desires another young man. A father grapples with his complex relationship with his daughter. A couple tries to add spice to their sex life. These are but a few of the witty and serendipitous narratives that make up PARIS, JE T'AIME. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (9)
Eighteen Parisian districts plus twenty-two directors equal eighteen "Parisian" views of love in blossom, in decline, beyond its zenith, love non-existent, love wanted, love towards the family, and many of its other facets. Undoubtedly an interesting project, but given the abundance of short stories, it is clear that the quality cannot be constant. So it was a pleasant surprise that none of the stories are downright bad. On the other hand, it is unpleasantly surprising that with such a cadence of sonorous well-known names, only a few stories are at all exceptional, especially in the first half. Most of them have something going for them, but only a few of them will stay with you after the movie is over. That is, about how each situation began or continued. I would point out Sylvain Chomet, whose contribution is definitely one of the best, but even so, the non-animated form unnecessarily hinders him in his flight. I would also point out the highlight of the entire film in the form of a short story by Tom Tykwer. If only for this piece, the movie is worth seeing. Paris, I Love You was supposed to be an emotionally powerful experience as a whole. Which it isn’t, except for two or three moments, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad or mediocre movie. Perhaps because everyone will surely find their own segment that appeals to them.
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I did some rigorous math – an average – and I got what I gave it. I liked the 4th and 6th stories the least, the beginning was kind of weak in general, but then the mimes came in and it gave me hope for a better ending. After that, my enthusiasm cooled down – two stories that I would probably have given something like 2 stars. But the 12th story charmed me; and I'd give that one the highest rating on its own. And after that? Nothing came along that was worse than average, so the final level was very nice, orderly, melancholic. The last short story brings it to a beautiful close, just like the person at the center of the story, even I came away feeling it, and everything just clicked. It's definitely worth taking a tour of Paris – in both senses. It starts weak, but finishes with verve.
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In these types of anthology films, which are directed by several different directors, the most common problem is the different quality of individual stories. In the case of Paris, I Love You, this critical point is even stronger because there was a whole army of directors and the space for their expression was therefore very limited. Not everyone was able to create a meaningful story with a point in such a small space. Some creators did not offer the viewer more information about their characters than what they could learn from the presented photograph. Several of the stories were really nice, whether they were filmed anecdotes like vampire stories or the story of the unfortunate Steve Buscemi, who was properly tormented by his friend Joel Coen. The strength of the film is definitely the cast, which is luxurious, but it is a pity that the individual actors did not have the opportunity to show more in their performances. The only thing that connects this chaos of micro-stories is Paris, but even that does not play the main role because most of the stories could take place almost anywhere. Overall impression: 65%.
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A film filled to the brim with my most beloved city and full of different approaches to love, romance, and particularly Paris. And it is precisely in the alternating styles and moods that the greatest weakness and strength of this work lies. While I shook my head at Doyle's patchwork or at why Cuarón's piece is only interesting because it is shot in one continuous take, others would not stomach what I consider the best stories. The tenderness and cuteness of Chadha's romantic bonding, the perfectly fitting dark humor of the Coen brothers, the heartrending sincerity of Nobuhira Suwa, and the perfect Juliette Binoche, the fascinating outer-worldly imagination of Chomet, and Tykwer's visual study of love, relationships, differences, and problems. Some pieces of this bonbon did not taste good to me, so the film as a whole will not receive the highest rating, but not only this group of names will remain in me forever. Beyond any assessable boundaries.
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The first film that dared to present a great world metropolis in the form of stories. Some of them still come to my mind, while others I have successfully forgotten. Nevertheless, the film remains a wonderful mosaic of how Paris looks from the perspective of many filmmakers. I should watch more "I Love You" films to find out how they measure up in terms of quality. You can't expect every story to be a masterpiece, but in this case, quality definitely prevails.
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