Cédric Klapisch (The Spanish Apartment, 2002 and Russian Dolls, 2005) and clearly loves stories with many interwoven plotlines and with Paris he takes the device to it limits. For me, there are so many characters that I found myself hard-pushed to keep track of who is who and because of that felt a certain distance and lack of involvement with some of them whilst with others I wanted to learn more. Despite this, the film’s major flaw, I found plenty to captivate me in many of the main characters and their sometimes sad, sometimes amusing, stories. Although the stories could in fact be lived anywhere, the film also works as a sort of commentary on Paris itself – its iconic status, its rich history and the tension between its past glories and its present day reality.
Roland Verneuil (Fabrice Luchini) is a history professor, who, in an early scene is making a doco about Paris, with the stereotypical accordion player in the background. Roland may be a respected professional, but he is also smitten by one of his students, Laetitia (Mélanie Laurent),. He forays into the world of the young with text messages, romantic mooning about and some hilarious dancing to retro music! Roland’s brother Philippe Verneuil (François Cluzet) by contrast is settled and about to become a first-time father. The local bakery is run by a snobbish uppity woman (Karin Viard) who berates her employees while she sucks up to customers – almost a caricature of what many tourists perceive as very French. Meanwhile Elise shops at a local market where a collection of amiable vendors live a more earthy life, chatting up women and playing out their own life’s crises. Will there be romance between Elise and Jean (Albert Dupontel)? At the bakery Pierre is attracted to the latest employee, a North African girl, while over in Africa, a group of immigrants is illegally crossing the ocean from Cameroon. Elise just happens to be a social worker dealing with immigrant problems, but her greatest challenge now is to be supportive to Pierre. Complicated? You bet!
Although in the gentle brother/sister relationship and the excellent rapport between Duris and Binoche, the film shines, the biggest thing to love about it is, of course, The City Of Lights itself. From the wonderful opening aerial shot of the city, through the many picture postcard scenes, it’s all there like an alluring travelogue. So despite being overstuffed with characters and sub-plots for its own good, Paris is a treat for Francophiles.