This sprawling slice of life in the title city from director
Cédric Klapisch (When the Cat’s Away) follows the daily
travails of a loosely interconnected group of Parisians: Juliette
Binoche is a harried social worker caring for her dancer brother
(Romain Duris), who has a terminal illness, who is smitten with an
across-the-street neighbor (Mélanie Laurent, the revenge-minded
theater owner from Inglorious Basterds), who is courted by her
middle-aged professor (Fabrice Luchini). And so it goes.
Klapisch weaves these stories together with professional ease but a
decided lack of wit, the result being more like a laidback Euro
Crash than a French answer to Robert Altman epics. And
Paris‘ ensemble cast is perhaps a little too stuffed with
secondary characters (and too stuffed period, at an overlong 130
minutes).
Paris has its moments (the professor blasting “Land of 1000
Dances” and expounding on Wilson Pickett: “As strong as Descartes! The
same intensity!”and Binoche watching over her brother at a party with
his friends), but its ultimate appeal is as simple as photographing
attractive people against an attractive cityscape.
