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Think of the City of Lights as a canvas and then give 18 noted directors a chance to do a short vignette in one of Paris's neighborhoods. Voila, you have the fascinating "Paris, Je T'Aime."

As with any compilation of dirrerent artists, each vignette can be judged on its own merits, but all of them together provide a fantastic visual pastiche of Paris.

These are little moments in life (with the exception of a couple surrealistic segments) that move so effortlessly and quickly, you wonder how the directors distilled so much of interest into such short scripts.

Our personal favorite may be the Coen brothers who shot their entire sequence at a Metro stop, in which Steve Buscemi stars and never says a word. So much happens to him, a hapless tourist, in such a short period of time that it is dazzling to see what can be accomplished in just a few minutes.

The segment in which Juliet Binoche stars is heartbreaking, yet turns on a redemptive fantasy.

This is not a sentimental journey through Paris, but rather like a tapas restaurant, where you feast on a lot of appetizers instead of eating a main course.

Each segment is a surprise that begins with titling that tells you the neighborhood of Paris that it is filmed in and the director. From then on, you don't know what to expect, but because of the short segments you quickly enter a miniature drama that unfolds.

The love in "Paris Je T'Aime" is offbeat and idiosyncratic. The title of the film really refers to loving Paris as a backdrop for the work of all these great directors, actors and actresses -- and a beautiful urban landscape is what it provides.

Watching "Paris Je T'Aime" makes for a relaxing, enjoyable evening of little cinematic treats.

Here is the movie trailer for "Paris Je T'Aime" Trailer.

The Hollywood Reporter:

Being in Paris is to be inside a work of art, and it is no surprise that in the charming collection of vignettes that make up "Paris je t'aime," the art is love. This is a Paris where Oscar Wilde can reappear beside his grave at Pere Lachaise to give squabbling lovers a sense of humor. A vampire may pounce on an unsuspecting backpacker in the Madeleine. A cowboy on horseback can bring a grieving mother back to her family. A paramedic may fall in love with her bleeding patient.

Love in all its weird and wonderful forms is the subject of 18 short films made by an assortment of international directors who bring individual vision to a collective love letter to the French capital. Most of the directors have written their own pieces, and they range from whimsical to romantic, to dramatic and tragic.

From the NYT:

Short films directed by Olivier Assayas, Frédéric Auburtin and Gérard Depardieu, Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Joel and Ethan Coen, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Bruno Podalydès, Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas, Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Tom Tykwer and Gus Van Sant; from an original idea by Tristan Carné and a feature film concept by Emmanuel Benbihy; in French and English, with English subtitles; music by Pierre Adenot; produced by Claudie Ossard and Mr. Benbihy; released by First Look Pictures. Running time: 120 minutes.

WITH: Fanny Ardant, Juliette Binoche, Seydou Boro, Steve Buscemi, Sergio Castellitto, Willem Dafoe, Gérard Depardieu, Marianne Faithfull, Ben Gazzara, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bob Hoskins, Aïssa Maïga, Margo Martindale, Emily Mortimer, Nick Nolte, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Natalie Portman, Miranda Richardson, Gena Rowlands, Ludivine Sagnier, Barbet Schroeder, Rufus Sewell, Gaspard Ulliel, Elijah Wood and Li Xin.


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