a parisian change of pace

One of the best things about summer is getting to watch lots and lots of movies, especially on week nights. Last night, Barrett and I watched a really interesting movie called Paris, Je Te'Aime. This is actually not a movie in the traditional sense but a series of short films. Each mini-movie is directed by a different famous director, and they all have very distinct styles. This movie is also full of amazing actors from Juliette Binoche and Willem Dafoe to Nick Nolte and Natalie Portman; we were surprised to see so many different famous faces in each film.

The common thread linking all of these shorts is love and Paris. Each short is named after and showcases a different neighborhood in Paris and is about love is some form or fashion. While there were a few shorts that I didn't get and a few others I didn't like, the nice thing was that they were over in about 3 minutes and you were on to something totally different making this movie a really fun change of pace from the typical narrative or even artsy film. A few of the shorts were absolutely fabulous. The one by the Coen brothers starring Steve Buscemi was typical of their style and great--awkward, brusque, but funny at the same time. There was also a really sweet short about a hispanic nanny who leaves her baby each day to care for a wealthy woman's baby--much sweeter than I can give justice to. But I think my favorite was the short directed by Alexander Payne, Nebraskan director famous for Sideways and About Schmidt. He is excellent at depicting middle America with a loving but tongue-in-cheek way. His short is narrated by a postal worker from Denver. She has worked for years to learn French so that she could visit Paris and falls in love with the city. The combination of her very American accent and her fannypack are nothing short of lovably hilarious.

The other thing that was great about this movie is all the different sides of Paris it shows. It beautifully captures the vivacity, character, and charm of the City of Lights.

This movie was a really enjoyable. I would recommend it if you love, have travelled to, or want to travel to Paris or if you just want a little change of pace.