Paris (2008)

This delightful piece lived up to my high expectations. It features Juliette Binoche (more in a moment) as a single mother, Romain Duris as her brother, Mélanie Laurent (the blonde theatre owner in Inglourious Basterds) as the brother's (brunette) neighbor, Fabrice Luchini as the neighbor's professor, and François Cluzet as the professor's brother. A handful of vendors from the open-air food market and a few others make up the ensemble in intertwined stories. It was written and directed by Cédric Klapisch (L'auberge espagnole (The Spanish Hostel - 2002) and Chacun cherche son chat (When the Cat's Away - 1996), both of which I loved, and others I haven't seen), which is why I was eager to see it.

Binoche (faves: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), The English Patient (1996) which won her an Oscar, Chocolat (2000) which earned her a nomination, and Caché and Bee Season (both 2005, both wonderful)) is great as the harried single mother, a social worker who doesn't take crap from anyone. Duris (L'auberge espagnole, title role in Moliére (2007)) gives the required depth to the ex-chorus-boy brother with a big problem; Laurent (blonde again last night as Quentin Tarentino's date for the Golden Globes) is delightful, even as some of her dialogue is via text message; Luchini (he was in the quirky and good Confidences trop intimes (Intimate Strangers - 2004) as a man who poses as a psychiatrist to develop a relationship with a beautiful woman, and co-starred in Moliére, among his 66 imdb credits, which include the classic Le genou de Claire (Claire's Knee - 1970) by Eric Rohmer) is perfect as the obsessed prof; and Cluzet (even more credits; I loved Clint Eastwood's 'Round Midnight (1986) and Ne le dis à personne (Tell No One - 2006) and quite liked French Kiss (1995)) is also perfect in his small part. The whole cast was wonderful. Surprisingly, the only actor nominated for a César (French Oscar) was the bakery b***h, who was funny, but not the best in the movie.

My Rule #2 is strictly observed, as the Eiffel Tower is visible in lots of exteriors, especially from Duris' balcony, day and night. The locations/sets are lush and the music good, too. One classical piano theme was so familiar I jotted down its name during the credits: Gnossienne no. 1 by Erik Satie, which was used in The Painted Veil (2006), among others. And there were plenty of songs in a variety of genres. I'm considering buying the soundtrack, which has 15 of the songs listed here. This is yet another love letter to the City of Lights, with diversity of neighborhoods, stories, moods, times of day, and people. Many of them dance in the end (Luchini's dance to the Wilson Pickett track is priceless). Klapisch's production company is named after his 1989 short film Ce qui me meut (that which moves me), and I agree. I saw Paris in a theatre Sunday while Jack watched football at home, but it's now available on DVD. Check it out.