Film review | Paris Can Wait

Paris Can Wait suggests that we take time to stop and enjoy the view, literally, and consider that not everything has to be performed at breakneck speeds.

Anne (Diane Lane) is married to high-flying Hollywood producer Michael (Alec Baldwin), who treats her as if she is the human embodiment of a smartphone assistant such as SIRI. 

Ann is indispensable when Michael can’t find matching socks. He has a more intimate relationship with his phone than with Anne.

When Anne’s planned journey by plane from Cannes to Paris is cancelled because she has an earache that would be exacerbated by the aircraft’s cabin pressure, Michael’s French business partner, Jacques (Arnaud Viard), suggests that he drives Anne to Paris.

That’s the beginning of a five hour car drive to Paris that takes two days because Jacques takes Anne off the beaten track to eat fabulous French food and drink superb French wines at high-end restaurants and enjoy simple picnics by the riverside.

Jacques shows Anne that the direct route to Paris, which becomes a metaphor for the path a person takes in their life, is not necessarily the path that results in fulfilment.

Jacques rattles the complacency that has become the norm in Anne and Michael’s relationship.

Taking a road less travelled can result in magnificent views and unexpected encounters. 

Anne’s obsession with photographing common everyday objects, such as wine glasses, plates, and stone walls in unusual arrangements indicates she has an eye for the unconventional aspects of what she sees. She doesn’t experience her life the same way.

At times, the consumption of vast quantities of food and bottles of wine from which they only sip are a celebration of extravagant excesses that can only be enjoyed by people, such as Anne and Jacques, who enjoy positions in life of unlimited resources and unrestricted wealth.

Jacques epitomises what one expects from a stereotypical image of a French male. He seduces her taste buds with the intention of finding his way into her affections and boudoir.  

In the final wash-up, their food and wine experiences, as well as their mutual flirting, can be transposed into any person’s life, regardless of their financial position or means of independence. 

The film tells us that we should stop and take the time to smell the flowers in our gardens, notice the view you drive past everyday and truly see the special person in your life.

Feast your senses with glorious food, wonderful scenery and genteel behaviour. Take time to enjoy Paris Can Wait’s sedate pace and calm approach.