Paris

By: Martyn Pedler
Date: 15th Apr 08
Format: Cinema
Mood: Whimsical

What:
Paris

When:
Opens Thurs Apr 17

Where:
Kino Dendy
Cinema Nova

Watch the trailer:
Here

Win:
We have double passes to Paris to give away. For your chance to win email win@threethousand.com.au with subject line 'toying with ooh la la clichés actually sounds kind of fun'

There are only a handful of cities around the world that popular culture won’t stop mythologising. Yes, this is yet another film about Paris – but after an opening that looks like a slick travel infotainment show, a TV host asks “Who is Paris?” and immediately flubs his lines.

In Paris, a charming French bakery is a site of casual, everyday racism. A secret admirer comes across as a creepy obsessive. The film enjoys gently toying with the expected ooh la la clichés epitomised by the recent example of postcard-porn, Paris Je T’aime.

It has a large cast of characters and while their stories interconnect, they do so painlessly, without the groan-inducing “Hey, the girl from that scene is now in this scene!” that’s plagued indie-films for far too long. Juliette Binoche gets to subvert a typical striptease sequence, and Fabrice Luchini stands out as a history professor who’s caught in suitably Parisian midlife crisis.

If your bottom lip is quivering at the possibility of Paris shattering your romantic illusions, don’t worry. It ends up celebrating just as many clichés as it’s taken apart.