I would rather love a person than a city

This is an old blog of mine I saved from my MySpace Account.
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I would rather love a person than a city: A Critique of Paris, Je T'aime

Written by: Cherie Black

One of the best aspects of a vignette is the opportunity it provides to see how good an actor really is. Limited by time, an actor's ability will either shine, stimulating the viewer with an authentic performance, or it will tire, making the viewer realize that they had just lost six more minutes of sleep :-D

In Paris, Je T'aime, we receive the best of both worlds. Eighteen vignettes in 113 minutes…. Sometimes the brief scenes are perfect, imprinting a story with beautiful lines upon the viewer's mind – like the vignette entitled "Bastille." After three years of adultery, a husband discovers that his wife is dying from cancer. In an attempt to make her last days special, he ends his relationship with his mistress and completes his wife's favorite activities (attending matinees, bargain-hunting, and reading novels aloud); then just before she dies, he recognizes, "By acting like a man in love, I became a man in love again," a confession that is provoking, begging the viewer to reflect on their own life.

However, more often than not, the vignettes flop… especially the ones with the famous actors. "Quartier Latin" features Gena Rowlands and Gerard Depardieu, and the acting in it is stiffer than a wet shirt dried in below freezing temperatures. The only thing left to fall back on with such poor acting is the story, and obviously this is where the film falters. Because of the rapidity of each scene little to no connection can be made with the characters; thus, the viewer feels so far removed one wonders: what is the point?

So what is the point? As the film title states: Paris, I love you. Unfortunately, this seems to be the solution of each character's problems. Getting a divorce after more than fifteen years of marriage? It's OK – I am in Paris, and I love Paris. Want your windows broken by a crazy model? Sure, I am in Paris and I love Paris. Spend all of your time watching someone else's baby instead of your own? It's alright; I am in Paris and I love Paris. As a tourist, do you want to get manipulated and then beat up by a local, love-struck couple? Yeah, baby, bring on the pain. It's all part of Paris, and I LOVE Paris (although I must admit, this one was actually pretty cute – then again, how can anyone go wrong with Steve Buscemi?).

In the end, Paris, Je T'aime is almost as bad as the cliché "What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas." It is just a little artsier and classier.