Paris, je t'aime

« Paris, je t’aime » est une phrase que je pourrais déclamer tous les jours, donc c’est avec beaucoup d'enthousiasme que je me suis jeté sur cet hommage fait par des réalisateurs célèbres à la métropole française. Mais, à mesure que le temps s’écoulait et au fil des différents sketches, mon visage grimaçait de plus en plus. C’est que la magie et l’ambiance parisiennes se perdent complètement, à tel point que certains sketches pourraient très bien avoir été tournés à Brno, à Znaïm ou encore dans n’importe quel village du sud de la Tchéquie. On dirait qu’Alfonso Cuarón n’a jamais mis les pieds dans le parc Monceau ; son histoire était à pleurer et je m’étonne que Ludivine Sagnier y ait participé. C’est Tom Tykwer qui sauve la mise avec un sketch qui me semble être le seul qui appartienne et corresponde à l’univers parisien – un sketch que j’ai regardé à trois reprises. Les frères Coen ne s’en sont pas mal tirés non plus et, ironiquement, leur histoire outrageuse pourrait se passer dans la vie réelle. Il manque quand même quelques grandes pointures françaises comme Béart, Auteuil, Darrieux ou Deneuve. « New York, je t’aime » doit absolument être filmé par Woody Allen, sinon le résultat sera aussi pitoyable qu’avec Paris. À seconde réflexion, je mets une étoile de plus pour Tom Tykwer qui la mérite vraiment. (23/09/2008)

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. (13/12/2007)

A very pleasant experience, tuned especially to the wave of relaxed melancholy and love tremors. If I set aside Doyle's truly stupid and inconsistent Porte de Choisy and the situation when the authors confused the short with a cheap kitschy agitation (especially Quais de Seine), here we have the same more or less high-quality and interesting little stories, from which the charming Sylvain Chomet stands out (this is what individuality should look like on the screen for a few minutes) and Payne’s fantastic short, which tells more about Paris through the eyes of a foreigner than most previous short stories combined. Personally, I was also very pleased with Natali's vampire nonesense, the Coens' traditional entertainment show with "donny" Buscemi, minimalist suggestive Loin de 16éme and the excellent craftsmanship (albeit a little weaker in terms of content) of Tykwer and Cuarón. (10/09/2008)

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. (04/08/2007)

I would rate the individual etudes differently. The absolute number one for me was Arrondissement 10, when the blind boy tells Natalie Portman: "I can see you". And I must also mention Arrondissement 7, Tour Eiffel, the boy with the big briefcase and his parents the mimes. Next, story number 7 appealed to me, which was about a man who wants to break up with his wife because of a young stewardess and the fact that the wife sings the same song over and over, wears the same clothes, has lipsticks she doesn't use, doesn't order appetizers and desserts, and ends up eating the husband's entire meal...and what's more, the husband is to the point where he even orders meals that the wife will like. But when his wife tells him she is sick, he doesn't break up with her and leaves the stewardess. He pretends to love his wife until he falls head over heels in love with her again... she dies and he is alone... On the other hand, I would leave out the soulless beginning, i.e. Arrondissement 18, which was rather awkward. The rest was average or above average... anyway I will think about it. Nice work. (30/10/2010)