DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Dans Paris
By June L.
May 14, 2008, 15:14 GMT

“Can a love story really make you jump off a bridge?” - Jonathan

Dans Paris (Inside Paris) is a film that makes the viewer soon wonder just how many ways a family of intelligent and good looking men can completely mess up their lives, especially their love lives. 

Good plan to have Jonathan younger son of the family give an introduction, (but not a “guided tour”) to this sometimes crazy, very offbeat and sentimental journey concerning love, depression, family, loss, slacking and growing old, just to name a few of the topics covered.

Older brother Paul (Roman Duris) has broken up with his long time love Anna, or has he?  At least he has returned to the home of his divorced father and his irresponsible but charming younger brother Jonathan.  Both Papa (Guy Marchand) and Jonathan (Louis Garrel) are determined to shake Paul out of his depression and sorry state, each trying time honored diversions of food and women. 

Nothing seems to work, and Paul won’t talk about it either.  We see how each of the three men exists in his own world, with half-hearted attempts to make contact with other people, but unable to truly connect.  Papa cooks and worries, while Paul mopes and sleeps and Jonathan tries to help but keeps getting distracted by every female he meets.  Even the flaky mom makes an appearance when Papa becomes convinced that Paul is trying to do himself in and calls her. 

But mom ends up fighting the same old battles of misunderstanding with Papa and leaves without giving Paul any aid.  Each man has to make an effort, and possibly piece together his life with help from each other and an overnight guest. 

Dans Paris is presented on single disc in widescreen, French language with English subtitles.  Subtitles are also available in Spanish, and the playing time for the film is 90 minutes.  Special feature for the disc is a deleted scene, and another short film by Director Christophe Honore’. 

The film is not rated, but this is NOT for the kids.  It is confusing and maddening enough to make the audience want to swear at the characters to get it together at times, and talk to each other, say what you really mean.  In addition there is quite a bit of nudity, but it seems natural rather than gratuitous, and is not a large part of the scene in either set up or telling the story. 

It is well acted, and the scenes in and around Paris have a feeling of present moment reality.

Dans Paris is now available at Amazon and AmazonUK. Visit the DVD database for more information.