Reading aloud from the Michelin Guide might have been made for more riveting fare than the tedious gastronomic road trip that is “Paris Can Wait.” It’s an odd choice as the first narrative film directed by Eleanor Coppola, known best for her 1991 documentary “Hearts of Darkness,” about the making of her husband Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now.”
It’s intriguing that she waited until 80 to direct her first non-documentary, though the story is said to be based on an experience from her own life. Still, it’s a mystery why she would want to go from hard-hitting, affecting filmmaking to a wafer-thin travel romance that seems like it belongs on Lifetime.
An engaging and intelligent actress, Diane Lane in the lead role nudges this slight, smug sojourn just out of the realm of slog, and for foodies or Francophiles (before or after this week’s election), the film will hold some allure. But the minimal character development will frustrate filmgoers seeking substance, as will Coppola’s stilted dialogue. The pointless story of a pair of privileged white people enjoying a series of lavish meals and pricey hotels is cringe-worthy in its casual and tone-deaf elitism.
It’s meant to be a story of a woman’s self-discovery, but feels more like the tame yearnings of a desperately bored housewife: dally with a handsome foreigner who flatters her, insists she sample succulent gourmet dishes and wine pairings, fills the car with flowers and squires her to exquisitely beautiful landscapes. There’s nothing wrong with any of this, if it were confined to vacation photos on a Facebook page, but none of these elements add up to a riveting movie.
Lane plays Anne, an impeccably dressed 50-ish woman whose nest has recently emptied; her daughter has gone off to college and her producer husband Michael (Alec Baldwin) is often away on location. She’s smart and sophisticated, but feels adrift. While her life looks pretty charmed to an outsider, the blandly dissatisfied Anne is under-appreciated by her husband. Still, she’s a traditional wife — she can tell him just where she packed his socks, and she enjoys a man ordering for her in a restaurant.
Anne accompanies her neglectful husband to Cannes, where she complains of ear pain. Michael has business in Budapest, and he and Anne are about to fly there on a private jet when she is warned that altitude will exacerbate her earache. (She’s a grown woman and somehow didn’t know this?) Enter Jacques (Arnaud Viard), Michael’s insistently charming business partner. He offers to drive Anne to Paris. Once in the City of Lights, Anne will reunite with her peripatetic husband at the well-appointed home of some equally wealthy friends.
Jacques is determined to play tour guide through the French countryside. He insists on stopping at the finest restaurants and loveliest hotels along the way. Anne resists rather half-heartedly, then begins to relax and enjoy the experience. Theirs is a rarified world of First World problems. Wine or no wine? Fix a broken fan belt or rent a car? Anne devises a fan belt fix with her pantyhose. What a clever American woman she is, marvels Jacques. Amid all the silly contrivances and pseudo-concerns of the rich and fabulous, a poignant moment stands out when Anne shares her grief over a lost child.
Two adults who unexpectedly discover a bond — as friends, lovers or something in between — while thrown together in travel is a theme that has made for evocative cinema: Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset” are terrifically crafted travel romances. “Lost in Translation” (directed by Eleanor Coppola’s daughter, Sofia) whimsically chronicles two unlikely people, coming together in Tokyo. “Cairo Time,” with Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig, dramatizes the unexpected rush of flirtation and heady attraction connecting two people from different countries, bound by prior commitments.
“Paris Can Wait,” however, feels superficial, forced and forgettable. It comes off like a travelogue as envisioned by Nancy Meyers — awash in sumptuous locations, well-dressed protagonists and artfully displayed food, but not much else.
Everything looks beautiful, but the players are supremely un-interesting. Anne confesses her lifelong weakness. Spoiler alert: it’s chocolate. Mais, non!
Jacques’ character feels like a cliché en Français. He’s a charming Frenchman with a penchant for fine wine, haute cuisine and desultory rendezvous. He loves cigarettes and his old Peugeot. All he’s missing is a beret and a baguette.
There’s no denying the film brings to vivid life the gorgeous French countryside (as captured by cinematographer Crystel Fournier, “Girlhood”), as well as the appeal of sumptuous dining. It’s a pleasure to see Lane in a lead role, and it’s heartening that Coppola tackles a middle-aged woman’s story. It’s just too bad she didn’t dig deeper for substance. Perhaps if Anne and Jacques had had some evident chemistry, the lack of character development and half-baked plot might have been more forgivable.
The fourth-wall breaking resolution is meant to be a charming surprise, but leaves the viewer feeling queasy, aided by the endless displays of rich food. Maybe a better title for this stale travel saga would have been “Eat, Drive, Bore.”
Every 'SNL' Alec Baldwin Donald Trump Sketch Ranked, From Least to Most Retweetable (Photos)
We’re in for at least (probably) four years of Donald Trump as President of the United States. That means lots of bad things and one particularly great thing: We’re in for a lot more Alec Baldwin impersonations of Trump on “Saturday Night Live.” From the often ridiculous phrases to the weird outbursts, “SNL” has captured all of it. In fact, the sketches often seem to struggle to surpass reality in terms of absurdity. But they get there. Here’s a list of every Baldwin-as-Trump “SNL” sketch, ranked from least to most hilarious, with links to the sketches.
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15. Trump’s Classroom Cold Open (Dec. 3) Trump retweets ridiculous people, like a 16-year-old and a white supremacist. This one’s sadder than it is funny, though, because most of it doesn’t even require jokes. You can watch that sketch here.
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14. Donald Trump Prepares Cold Open (Nov. 19) Fresh off winning the election, Trump’s completely unprepared. We already know that Mike Pence will do everything, but good effort, “SNL.” You can watch that sketch here.
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13. Trump’s Christmas Cold Open (Dec. 17) Vladimir Putin and Rex Tillerson drop by Trump Tower for Christmas. This one definitely brings to mind the phrase, “No puppet, no puppet.” It's also, perhaps, the most outright terrifying of all of these. You can watch that sketch here.
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12. The O'Reilly Factor with Donald Trump (April 8) Alec Baldwin played both a scandalized Bill O'Reilly and Trump, who appeared on O'Reilly's show to defend him. A clueless Trump is a nice addition to this one but he's ultimately just an addition to another gag. You can watch the sketch here.
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11. Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton — Debate Three Cold Open (Oct. 22) Trump is winning “every single poll taken outside a Cracker Barrel,” but it’s Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton who steals this one — kind of like in real life. You can watch that sketch here.
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10. Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton — Debate 1 Cold Open (Oct. 1) The first debate really found Baldwin hitting the Trump stride. It’s mostly just him shouting “Gina” in a very insistent tone (his weird pronunciation of "China"). “Yuge Gina” gets a lot of mileage though. You can watch that sketch here.
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9. Trump Takes the Appeals Court to 'The People's Court' (Feb. 11) "SNL" made good on Trump's all-caps "SEE YOU IN COURT" tweet by taking the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to "The People's Court." But Judge Milian hassling Trump about his travel ban was a bit too short to really take off. Watch the sketch here.
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8. Trump's People (April 8) Trump checks in with rural white Americans after ordering an airstrike on Syria. Desperate to keep everyone happy, he promises everyone will have coal jobs for the rest of their lives and that he'll slash minimum wage. The final joke about "finger chili" is a standout moment. Watch the sketch right here.
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7. VP Debate Cold Open (Oct. 8) Trump nabs the spotlight from the vice presidential debate and realizes he needs to be a lot more careful about talking about sexually assaulting people while wearing hot mics. Describing himself as a gross groping hurricane is hilariously cringe-worthy. You can watch that sketch here.
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6. Trump might have ties to Zorblat-9 as aliens invade (March 11) Trump spoke to American troops to rally them in a battle against super-powerful space aliens. Unfortunately, Trump's old standbys like "we don't win anymore" and "we're going to bring coal back" were not all that helpful. Most of the rhetoric is stuff we've heard before, but Leslie Jones' and Sasheer Zamata's moments near the end elevate the sketch. Watch the sketch here.
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5. Hillary Clinton/Donald Trump Cold Open (Nov. 5) CNN doesn’t care that Trump literally kisses the FBI, Putin and the KKK, instead pestering Hillary about emails. Alec and Kate heartwarming run through Times Square is the real sweet spot of the sketch. You can watch that sketch here.
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4. Donald Trump gives Bannon and Kushner the 'Apprentice' Treatment (April 15) After a week of reports about infighting between Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner, "SNL" pits the two advisers against each other in to see who will be eliminated. Spoiler alert: It's Bannon. Watch the sketch here.
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3. Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton Town Hall Debate Cold Open (Oct. 15) Of all the debates, the second was the funniest. Trump lurking in the background and slipping past Hillary like he’s the shark in a “Jaws” movie completely captures the awkwardness of the real event. You can watch that sketch here.
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2. Donald Trump Press Conference Cold Open (Jan. 14) It might be the lowest-brow of the sketches, but Trump accidentally talking about urine throughout his press conference is bested only by the line, “I’m not talking about the pee-pee, because it didn’t happen and it wasn’t as cool as it sounds.” You can watch that sketch here.
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1. Donald Trump and Steve Bannon call world leaders (Feb. 4)
"SNL" channels two weeks of executive actions and other Trump news items to turn out a ton of jokes that channel absurdity while still finding new ways to be funny. Watch the sketch here.
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Get ready for four more years of this
We’re in for at least (probably) four years of Donald Trump as President of the United States. That means lots of bad things and one particularly great thing: We’re in for a lot more Alec Baldwin impersonations of Trump on “Saturday Night Live.” From the often ridiculous phrases to the weird outbursts, “SNL” has captured all of it. In fact, the sketches often seem to struggle to surpass reality in terms of absurdity. But they get there. Here’s a list of every Baldwin-as-Trump “SNL” sketch, ranked from least to most hilarious, with links to the sketches.