Skip to main content

Diane Lane Delivers in Sleepy Charmer "Paris Can Wait": Review

Image
By

Film Review: Paris Can Wait

Image result for paris can wait
"Are you at peace with your life?"

That's one of several questions Diane Lane mulls in the new movie Paris Can Wait. Written and directed by Eleanor Coppola, the film marks Coppola's fiction film debut, as she joins the family business (her husband, daughter, son, and granddaughter are all filmmakers) at the age of 81. In Paris Can Wait, Lane plays Anne, the wife of a film producer (played by Alec Baldwin) whose drive from Cannes to Paris with Jacques (Arnaud Viard), a business partner of her husband's, turns into a two day road trip of the finest dining, views, and sights that central France has to offer. 

The film is light and breezy, in a very appealing way. It moves along at a sleepy pace, providing a veritable feast of gorgeous locales and delicious food. Anne has recently closed her dress shop and isn't finding fulfillment in her marriage. She's itching for a creative outlet, as evidenced by the pictures she takes with her digital camera. As she grows closer to Jacques, she begins to examine her life, her marriage, her choices. It's a movie about the quiet disappointments of a marriage, a woman's longing for fulfillment outside of her family, about rediscovering life's simple pleasures. Adult topics for a movie about adults. 

None of this would work without a compelling central performance, and, thankfully, Lane is up to the task. I was nervous before seeing the film, having seen her give a lifeless, truly awful performance in The Cherry Orchard on Broadway last fall. With Paris Can Wait, Lane officially put any concerns I had about her acting ability to rest (well, screen acting at least), delivering an unadorned, understated performance. No affectations like a silly accent or heavy makeup or anything like that, just a character that feels real and an actor that portrays her with ease. It recalls the charm Lane exuded in her film debut, 1979's jubilant A Little Romance, which was also partially set in France. 

Stylistically and structurally, Paris Can Wait is simple and straightforward. Those looking for something more along the lines of the similarly-themed Two for the Road will probably be disappointed. I found it delightful, but certainly fleeting. More of an appetizer than a filling meal. Although, it is full of amusing touches. I died laughing when Anne plugs in her phone to play a song by a French band her daughter introduced her to and the song is by Phoenix (the lead singer of which is, of course, Thomas Mars, Coppola's son-in-law). While it definitely won't be enough to keep everyone interested, it was enough for me. 

What did YOU think of Paris Can Wait? Let me know in the comments below! 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Leave a comment!

Popular posts from this blog

Who is The Black Hood on Riverdale? Here are 5 Possible Suspects

By
There's a killer on the loose in Riverdale , the setting of the CW's dark adaptation of the Archie Comics, now in its second season. He's called the Black Hood, a reference to the vigilante superhero comic book of the same name published by Archie Comics. So far, he has shot Fred Andrews (Luke Perry), murdered Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel) with a cello bow, and shot at Midge and Moose ( Emilija Baranac and Cody Kearsley), all while wearing his executioner's hood-style hood, which is how he got his name. His letter to the Coopers in the third episode of the season reveals he is targeting victims that he sees as criminals or hypocrites and the fourth episode revealed he got the idea from Betty's (Lili Reinhart) speech from the end of last season, where she pleaded that "Riverdale must do better." It's looking like figuring out the Black Hood's identity will be the big mystery of season two, so I have put together a list of possible suspects. Note: Th
Post a Comment
Read more

"My Mind Turns Your Life Into Folklore": Why Taylor Swift's "Gold Rush" Is a Song About Songwriting

By
"My mind turns your life into folklore." That line, from the song "Gold Rush," is the only time the word "folklore" is spoken on either of Taylor Swift's 2020 records, Folklore and Evermore , the latter of which is where the song appears. The presence of the line indicates that "Gold Rush" is a pivotal song not only in Swift's lockdown duology, but in her maturation as a songwriter.  Swift's early albums often drew heavily from her own experiences, with fans and the media scouring her lyrics for clues as to which ex-boyfriend her numerous breakup songs referred. Her tumultuous dating life made as many headlines as her music, in part because it informed so much of the music. The discourse was often ridiculous and reductive, and thankfully, that period of her career is over (Swift has been in a relationship with the actor Joe Alwyn since 2016).  Both of her 2020 albums have their fair share of autobiographical songs, but they also see
2 comments
Read more

A Great Show Rushes to its End: "Mom" Finale Review

By
It's never easy to end a TV show, especially a long-running, beloved show like Mom . "My Kinda People and the Big To-Do," the last episode of Mom that aired May 13 on CBS, was a good episode. It was maybe even a great episode. But was it a satisfying series conclusion? No, not really. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Before we talk about what didn't happen in the episode, let's talk about what did happen.  The episode begins at an AA meeting, as many episodes have. The ladies - Bonnie, Tammy, Jill, Marjorie, & Wendy - all share. They're all happy and in good places in their lives, much to the annoyance of newcomer Shannon (played by Melanie Lynskey, independent film mainstay whose sitcom credits include Chuck Lorre's Two and a Half Men ). Bonnie wants to help Shannon, as she had been helped by others when she too was new to the program, and even chases Shannon in the rain when she leaves the meeting. Later in the episode, we see Shannon'
Post a Comment
Read more