Escape to Paris in 10 Films

I for one always want to escape to Paris. But living on the opposite side of the world makes that a little difficult… so if you know those feels and you feel my pain, here are 10 films that will aid your escape to Paris (albeit through a tv screen)!

1. 2 Days in Paris

A European vacation was intended to repair the tattered relationship between American Jack (Adam Goldberg) and French native Marion (Julie Delpy). But, by the time they arrive in Paris to visit Marion’s family, it is clear the trip is not going well. The city brings out aspects of Marion that only alienate neurotic Jack further, from her in-your-face politics to her former boyfriends, who surface in every cafe. Thus the most romantic city in the world could mean the end of the couple’s romance. 

 

2. An American in Paris

Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) is an American ex-GI who stays in post-war Paris to become a painter, and falls for the gamine charms of Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron). However, his paintings come to the attention of Milo Roberts, a rich American heiress, who is interested in more than just art.

 

3. Le Divorce

While visiting her sister (Naomi Watts) in Paris, a young woman (Kate Hudson) finds romance and learns her brother-in-law is a philanderer.

 

4. Before Sunset

A sequel to “Before Sunrise,” this film starts nine years later as Jesse (Ethan Hawke) travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine (Julie Delpy). After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.

 

5. Charade

After Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) falls for the dashing Peter Joshua (Cary Grant) on a skiing holiday in the French Alps, she discovers upon her return to Paris that her husband has been murdered. Soon, she and Peter are giving chase to three of her late husband’s World War II cronies, Tex (James Coburn), Scobie (George Kennedy) and Gideon (Ned Glass), who are after a quarter of a million dollars the quartet stole while behind enemy lines. But why does Peter keep changing his name?

 

6. Last Tango in Paris

Distraught following his wife’s suicide, American hotelier Paul (Marlon Brando) becomes transfixed by the beautiful younger Frenchwoman Jeanne (Maria Schneider) when he meets her by chance at an apartment both are attempting to rent. The couple begin an extended but purely anonymous sexual relationship in which they do not even tell each other their names, but it soon becomes clear that the couple’s deliberate level of disassociation cannot continue.

 

7. Midnight in Paris

Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) is a screenwriter and aspiring novelist. Vacationing in Paris with his fiancee (Rachel McAdams), he has taken to touring the city alone. On one such late-night excursion, Gil encounters a group of strange — yet familiar — revelers, who sweep him along, apparently back in time, for a night with some of the Jazz Age’s icons of art and literature. The more time Gil spends with these cultural heroes of the past, the more dissatisfied he becomes with the present.

 

8. Ratatouille

Remy (Patton Oswalt), a resident of Paris, appreciates good food and has quite a sophisticated palate. He would love to become a chef so he can create and enjoy culinary masterpieces to his heart’s delight. The only problem is, Remy is a rat. When he winds up in the sewer beneath one of Paris’ finest restaurants, the rodent gourmet finds himself ideally placed to realize his dream.

 

9. Amelie

“Amélie” is a fanciful comedy about a young woman who discretely orchestrates the lives of the people around her, creating a world exclusively of her own making. Shot in over 80 Parisian locations, acclaimed director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (“Delicatessen”; “The City of Lost Children”) invokes his incomparable visionary style to capture the exquisite charm and mystery of modern-day Paris through the eyes of a beautiful ingenue.

 

10. Monte Carlo

Best friends Grace (Selena Gomez) and Emma (Katie Cassidy) quit their waitress jobs in small-town Texas and head to Paris for a summer adventure, accompanied by Grace’s stepsister, Meg (Leighton Meester). The prepackaged tour fails to meet their expectations, however, and soon their spirits sag. But, when Grace is mistaken for a British socialite named Cordelia, she and her companions head to Monte Carlo to enjoy a week of yacht parties and cute bachelors — then the real Cordelia arrives.