Watch Forget Paris For Free
Forget Paris
Mickey Gordon is a basketball referee who travels to France to bury his father. Ellen Andrews is an American living in Paris who works for the airline he flies on. They meet and fall in love, but their relationship goes through many difficult patches.
Release : | 1995 |
Rating : | 6.5 |
Studio : | Columbia Pictures, Castle Rock Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, |
Crew : | Production Design, Director of Photography, |
Cast : | Billy Crystal Debra Winger Joe Mantegna Cynthia Stevenson Richard Masur |
Genre : | Drama Comedy Romance |
Watch Trailer
Cast List
Related Movies
Reviews
I love this movie so much
Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
I have genuinely loved this movie! I've seen it many times, I rewatch it every time I need something sweet to soothe my soul...realistic, romantic, funny! Plus...let's NOT forget Paris...seeing the beautiful city really adds up to the movie charm! If you ever come across this one and aren't sure if it's worth watching, I hope my review will help you to just leave everything aside and press 'play'! Beautiful romantic comedy!
Is there a specific reason why Crystal has not directed more often? I'm feeling like starting a petition and sending a copy of this to anyone who would potentially sign it. He, Mantegna, Kavner(the three reasons I gave it the much-deserved chance), Winger and Stevenson are fantastic. Their performances and the timing, spot-on. This is incredibly funny, in the clever, dry, not trying too hard kind of way. The humor does have a few gross moments, however, apart from that, it's all hilarious, if you're into the sarcastic, at times cynical, type of material. Hardly any gags or jokes fall flat, throughout it. It's well-acted, and the characters are good. In addition, it's highly involving, and you find yourself caring, not just laughing, during this. Part of the emotion comes from the honesty of this, that it isn't your usual romantic comedy of "boy who looks like a male model meets female lead who appears to have stepped right off the train from Glamourville", and so on and so forth. This has ups *and* downs, and goes beyond the superficial level of the Hollywood pap that we all know, without forgetting what genre of film it is. The story is imaginative and holds surprises. The writing is top-notch. Do note that this is not for kids, the rating the MPAA gave it makes sense. There is language and themes herein. I recommend this to any fan of anyone who was part of creating it, Billy in particular. 7/10
I haven't read all of the comments, but none of the comments I have read give a very accurate impression of this film. It has some great comic scenes, however, I would never call this movie a Romantic Comedy. If you are expecting a real comedy, then you are likely to be disappointed, because it doesn't play strictly for laughs. To me this movie seems more like a lighthearted version of "An Affair to Remember" (or its superior predecessor, "Love Affair"). I watched it with my wife, and I held her hand and wanted to hold her in my arms while we watched the movie. During an argument scene, I remarked, "This is real," and my wife readily agreed. Admittedly, we both laughed hysterically at the pigeon sequence!I confess that I am a romantic. I hoped that Mickey and Ellen would get together, but I was not certain they would. That lack of certainty was maintained until the end for me. Even so, I have nothing against predictable movies. In film, as in life, it is the journey that is important, not the arrival at your destination. This movie provides a journey that is creative in the device it uses to convey the story, as well as in the unexpected plot twists. Is the climactic scene a little fairy-tale like? Maybe, but so what? I liked it, especially when the basketball reunion scene is followed by the arrival of Mickey and Ellen at the restaurant. The final scene is funny, clever, poignant, and romantic. It brings this delightful tale to a well-deserved and equally delightful end.
I can see why Debra Winger went into a self-imposed exile after this tiresome 1995 studio product, as she looks ill-at-ease as a romantic comedy lead. Here is an accomplished actress who seizes roles with a palpable life force when she is in the right vehicle. However, Winger seems lost playing against the stand-up shenanigans of Billy Crystal, and consequently they never really connect in any believable way. Much of the blame has to be placed on Crystal, who not only starred but also directed and co-wrote the film with Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. He seems intent on doing a retread of "When Harry Met Sally" but this time following a seemingly incompatible couple through marital discord.Crystal plays Mickey Gordon, an NBA referee who tries to abide by his estranged father's wishes to be buried in France. The airline has unfortunately lost the casket, and their Paris-based customer relations executive Ellen Andrews tries to correct things for Mickey. Of course, they fall in love since it is Paris, and they get married almost immediately. Complications ensue with Mickey on the road and Ellen unable to conceive a baby. The central conceit of the film is its framing device, a dinner where a group of their friends congregate and share their remembrances of Mickey and Ellen's courtship and marital problems. How they are able to relay such intimate details is never really addressed since it's a plotting contrivance we are supposed to accept.The other problem is that Crystal is not really acting here but performing his comedy routine as Mickey. Many of his lines sound overly familiar with many of the jokes having a forced feeling, and the role is virtually interchangeable with his Harry from the earlier film. Nevertheless, there are some truly funny bits, such as the running gag with Ellen's senile father (played by a befuddled William Hickey) repeating road signs in the car and the scene with the pigeon getting stuck to the side of Ellen's head. But it's not nearly enough. A solid supporting cast has been assembled as the friends - Joe Mantegna, Julie Kavner (particularly funny), Richard Masur, Cathy Moriarty, John Spencer, Cynthia Stevenson - though they act more like a chorus to the proceedings. The inevitable ending feels hollow since the relationship never felt that resonant. Despite some attempts at serious moments during the second half, this is the type of lightweight film that doesn't linger too long in one's memory. The 2000 DVD has no extras.