A wise, winsome ‘Paris Can Wait’
Diane Lane stars in a film worth celebrating.
At the age of 81, Eleanor Coppola makes her narrative feature- directing debut with “Paris Can Wait,” a winsome tale about a road trip through the French countryside, starring Diane Lane.
Coppola, who previously directed shorts and documentaries (including “Hearts of Darkness,” about the making of “Apocalypse Now”), took inspiration from her own impromptu road trip from Cannes to Paris with a French associate while her husband, Francis Ford Coppola, traveled for work. The result is a film worth savoring — a celebration of food, wine and stopping to smell the roses.
Lane stars as Anne, the wife of an all-business film producer named Michael (Alec Baldwin). When an ear infection prevents her from flying to Budapest with him, she catches a ride with Jacques ( French actor-director Arnaud Viard), an exceedingly charming, happy-go-lucky gourmand and raconteur who always takes the long way.
Anne doesn’t know this when she hops into his vintage Peugeot, thinking she’ll be in her Paris apartment by nightfall. But along the way, their trip stretches from several hours into two days, with stops to experience the best that their route has to offer — from fine wines to foraged dandelion greens.
“Paris Can Wait” delights in depicting the European lifestyle through rose- colored glasses. The landscape and way of life are idyllic — all ancient Roman aqueducts, cathedrals, amazing wines and lavish culinary delights. Even the simple things feel extravagant, and the annoyances have silver lin- ings.
An episode of car trouble becomes a decadent roadside picnic in a scene that serves as the keystone of the film’s thesis: Why worry when you can feast first? Paris can wait, after all.
An element of fantasy pervades “Paris Can Wait,” but it’s a delicious fantasy. There’s always a sense, too, that this magical world is fleeting as the miles tick by. The refreshing element is that the story resists the usual fan- tasies of sex or romance. Instead, Coppola focuses on Anne’s inner self as she reconnects to her own passions and drive, after many years of pouring energy into others.
Coppola’s camera is trained on Anne as she experiences the world around her and snaps photos of the details. It’s significant to note how Coppola deftly shifts the story’s focus to the woman behind the great man, asking who she is, how she understands the world, what she cares about. It’s fully her story — a rare perspective in film.
“Paris Can Wait” isn’t just a celebration of food and wine, or taking the time to enjoy the ride. It’s also about the fateful connections we can make with unlikely soul mates who leave lasting impressions. For Anne, Jacques’ purpose at this moment isn’t just to help her slow down and look around; it’s to remind her she’s special, with a point of view worth sharing.