Paris Je t'aime
Starring: Too many famous actors to list here!
With talent such as Coen Brothers, Steve Buscemi, Elijah Wood, Gerard Depardieu, Maggie Gyllenhall et al aboard it certainly ensures Paris Je t'Aime anthology of short films high quality production and major world wide distribution.
Like a travelogue we get to see some lovingly rendered portraits of Paris streets, nightlife and love. And like a friend returning from overseas narrating every minute detail of his trip with a slide show, this series of short films carries on far too long. Nearly 2 hours of loosely tied jaggedly uneven stories have some magic moments but it is inherently difficult in this format to create a cohesive whole that engages your consistent interest and passion throughout.
However, some standouts from the smorgasboard: Coen Brothers direct Steve Buscemi as a tourist in an amusing yet disturbing dilema, Maggie Gyllenhall as a hash addicted actress and her dealer missing and mixing up signals, Elijah Woods reincarnation as a vampire in love, Oscar Wilde returning from his Parisan grave to put humor and life into a groom who cannot laugh.
Highlight of all, is Alexander Payne's "14 arrondissement" with Margo Martindale as an overweight, middle-aged American tourist narrating her visit in heavily American accented French which brings a fresh amusement to the rendition and in the final scene pays off with a wonderful sense of poignancy and new life.
Paris Je t'Aime more than anything, is wonderfully painted scenes of a beautiful city.
Eddie Crismani
