There are some places on the planet where gloom just doesn’t settle: Key West, Fla.; New Orleans; Paris. Does anyone visiting these destinations ever have a bad time? How could they?
So it is surprising to watch a film about an American living in Paris who just can’t get out of his slump, despite a good passage of time since the death of his much-loved wife, despite the possession of a quite nice country house, despite living in a killer apartment with reliable cleaning lady, despite enjoying a seemingly good nest egg gleaned from a professor’s salary; despite indulging in something of a flirtation with a charming young woman. So it goes in Last Love (2013), starring Michael Caine as the elderly American professor and Clémence Poésy as his youthful companion. If Paris can’t save you, nothing will.
Viewers don’t see much of Paris in this film, but they’ll get a sense of its rhythms. Some of us enjoy Paris so much, we’ll take it even in decline. Whether Michael Caine’s character—a disinterested father to adult children, a man in his golden years with time to kill—will as well a viewer will have to determine.
—Lori Tripoli
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Planning a trip to Paris and teasing yourself with French film? Consider these posts:
- French Film: Crazy on a Bad Day
- What We Used to Think of Paris, and Women
- Paris as Protagonist
- Paris, Incidentally
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