Paris Can Wait (2016)

I expected a lot after reading the synopsis but was highly disappointed after watching the movie. There was an excellent story-line and beautiful landscapes with possibly romantic sequences but despite Diane's good performances, the movie doesn't inspire anything substantial. Main reason is the absence of that spark between the two. Diane is a lovely actress and I would always love to see her in any character which she always does well. But something was missing and she doesn't get the same enthusiasm from the opposite character to show the vibrancy of their connection. Viard is a charming actor and tries hard but he doesn't have the so called Frenchman's sexual flare! He rather looks like an average bus driver to me, not an eager, romantic and intimate kind of a person. I would have expected them to have an intimate relationship halfway through the movie but both looked like not having enough energy or that spark to get intimate.

I wouldn't say I wasted my time but expected more and got disappointed would be more accurate to put it in a nutshell.

Fmovies: This movie should be about a 7 or 8 because it is very well written with good pacing. Not boring at all and a very insightful movie in many ways about relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

I have mostly enjoyed all of Diane lane's movies. Some actors have a knack for picking scripts and even if the movie is not commercial at least you don't leave the theatre thinking you wasted two hours of your life.

A loving road trip through France with a touching performance by Diane Lane that demonstrates her mastery of the craft of acting in every scene. Finally, a film for grown-ups! Exquisitely directed with a light touch, that lets the story unfold through Lane's eyes as she finds herself in a compromising situation that is both comic and heartbreaking.

Paris Can Wait fmovies. There is no escaping the three pillars of movie-making: they have always been narrative, cinematography and emotion. If any pillar is weak, the movie struggles but if all three are weak the movie doesn't have a chance. With an appealing plot, a favourite actress, and a road trip across France, how could Paris Can Wait (2016) not succeed?

A story of an unhurried drive through France is full of promise. Neglected wife Anne (Diane Lane) and movie mogul husband Michael (Alec Baldwin) have been in Cannes and about to board a flight to Paris for a long-awaited holiday. At the last minute, she is advised not to fly because of an ear infection and agrees instead to be driven to Paris by her husband's French business associate Jacques (Arnaud Viard). What was expected to be a few hours drive becomes a two-day road trip, meandering into places Anne would never have seen without Jacques' knowledge of local attractions. Jacques is a gourmand who knows every good restaurant along the way and Anne allows him to show off his taste for fine food, French wines and other hidden cultural treasures. The trip is punctuated by long and luxurious meals, and frequent commentary on local history, architecture and customs. Despite Jacques' flirtations, they stay in separate rooms while Anne dutifully stays in touch by phone with her by-now anxious husband and daughter. By the time they arrive in Paris, Michael is showing his wife more attention than he has for years.

For this story to work, it needs rising romantic tension, some surprising revelations or narrative twists, or at least a sense of excitement about possibilities lying in wait. Instead it is two days of small talk punctuated by Anne's photo-taking: even when each reveals an emotional event in their lives it quickly dissolves into banal conversation without impact on their relationship or how we see them. The idea that Jacques' flirtations might succeed with Anne is deflated by his encounters with girlfriends along the way. Even the gastronomic feasts fall flat as visual treats: one plate of something delicious quickly loses its appeal when the plates just keep coming. The photographic delights of countryside France are captured inelegantly through car windows or in other uninspiring ways, and Jacques' informative tour-guide commentary has the tonal enthusiasm of someone reading from a travel brochure. The mediocre script is made worse by dialogue delivered as if Anne and Jacques were paced by a metronome, each taking turns to speak with the same pause between sentences. This lack of spontaneity carries throughout their journey except when Jacques' car breaks down and he immediately springs into picnic mode, grabbing a basket of goodies, and spreading a blanket alongside a lake in a scene that is pure Monet. That's what you do when your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, isn't it?

Given its quality ingredients this film should have worked. If the story represents a personal journey of self-awareness its revelations remain obscure. As it is based on the director's real-life experience, perhaps reality got in the way of creative filmmaking. Whatever the reason, the delicious promise embedded in the wonderful title Paris Can Wait does not even come close to fulfilment.

This is a really enjoyable and delightful movie. Diane Lane is perfect for the role of slightly neglected wife of a movie producer (Alec Baldwin). But this isn't another Under the Tuscan Sun. There is no May to December romance here. Starting off in the South of France Diane's character is driven up to Paris by her husband's partner - a charming but not attractive middle aged man. They travel through Provence then Lyon and Burgundy. There are stops in Vezelay at a Basilica. In each place they go to various French restaurants and the food is showcased beautifully and drink wine. It is the fine dining that is the highlight of this movie. The relationship between the lead characters is refreshing with subtle observations on culture differences - it's about friendship not romance. Eleanor Coppola directs very nicely.

"Are you happy?" is the question the director Eleanor Coppola wants you to ask yourself and invites you to explore what it is that makes us truly happy.

We see a neglected wife of a businessman rediscovering how to enjoy life, but the movie is bigger than that. It's not about an uneventful car ride to Paris among bucolic sceneries and savoring the French cousin, as many might see it. It's about the art of staying truly present.

We think that we are living by hectically skipping from one step stone to another, but instead the life fleetingly passes by. Eleanor Coppola calls us to experience life, see subtle details and take in your existence. Immerse in the surrounding environment, instead of incessantly rushing towards your next destination.

The annoying and persistent French associate of Anne's husband, Jacques Clement, patiently teaches us that attention is the key: the attention to details, focusing on your sensations, noticing subtle expressions of your companion's face and taking time to see the world around.

Instead of constantly thinking of the goal of the journey, attempt to enjoy the process as it is. Instead of living in the imaginary future, making one mental assignment after another to keep your mind busy, why not being content with where you are. Paris can wait as all your other distracting mental destinations, but your life can't.

If you want to explore a mere process of moving to a goal, but not checking off the list what the main characters did or did not do, it's the movie for you.