''Paris-Manhattan'' is a French

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

, which premiered on 2 April 2012 at the Festival of French Cinema in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. This is the first feature film by writer-director Sophie Lellouche.

Plot

Alice Ovitz is a pharmacist from a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family, who during her early years was introduced to and fell in love with

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

films A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. Growing up, she strongly desires a relationship, but the only man she ever loved was taken away from her by her own sister. On Alice's bedroom wall hangs a huge poster of Woody Allen, with whom she has long night conversations, and he talks back to her through excerpts of dialogue from his films. Ten years go by. Alice has taken over her father's pharmacy after he retired, her sister is long married to the man she stole from Alice, and the poster still hangs over the bed. She is thirty, and lonely, and her family is trying its best to introduce her to unmarried men. She is having a hard time choosing from two emerging suitors, Vincent and Victor. Almost by accident, but with help of Victor, Alice eventually meets Woody Allen on the streets of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. This time, the real Woody Allen, not the voice of the Poster, gives her personal advice, which happens to be exactly what Alice considered doing anyway.

Cast

Alice Taglioni Alice Taglioni (born 26 July 1976) is a French actress. Personal life Alice Taglioni was born in Ermont, Val-d'Oise. She is the daughter of an Italian man from Lombardy. She was Miss Corsica in 1996, but refused to participate in the election ...

as Alice Ovitz *

Patrick Bruel Patrick Benguigui (; born 14 May 1959), better known by his stage name Patrick Bruel (), is a French singer-songwriter, actor and professional poker player. Biography Early life Patrick is the son of Pierre Benguigui and Augusta Kammoun, d ...

as Victor *

Marine Delterme Marine Delterme (born 18 March 1968) is a French actress, painter, sculptor and former model. Early and personal life Marine Delterme was born in Toulouse, France, and grew up in Paris. Her father was an engineer and her mother a superintenden ...

as Hélène *

Michel Aumont Michel Henri Aumont (15 October 1936 – 28 August 2019) was a French theatre, film, and television actor. Throughout his career, he gained four Molière Awards and nominations for three César Awards. In 2015, he was made Grand Officer of the ...

as Isaac Ovitz *

Marie-Christine Adam Marie-Christine Adam (born 24 September 1950) is a French actress. Filmography Theatre External links * References 1950 births Living people French film actresses French television actresses Place of birth missing (living people ...

as Nicole Ovitz *

Louis-Do de Lencquesaing Louis-Do de Lencquesaing (born 25 December 1963) is a French actor and film director. His daughter, Alice de Lencquesaing, is also an actress. Filmography As an actor *''Les dernières heures du millénaire'' (1990, Short) *''Madame Bovary'' ( ...

as Pierre *

Margaux Châtelier Margaux Châtelier (born March 21, 1990) is a French actress known for her role in the 2013 film ''Belle and Sebastian'' and its 2015 sequel, '' Belle & Sebastian: The Adventure Continues''. She appeared as Annalise de Marillac in the Starz ...

as Laura * as Vincent *

as himself

Release

The film was released in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

on 4 October 2012.

Reception

Reviews for ''Paris Manhattan'' have been mixed. Boyd van Hoeij of ''Variety'' noted its similarity to Woody Allen's own 1972 film '' Play It Again, Sam'', stating that "This update-cum-ripoff might be aiming for witty and romantic, but it's mostly a hollow, rambling effort leavened with some stargazing".

References

External links

* * {{rotten-tomatoes, paris_manhattan, Paris Manhattan 2012 films Films about Jews and Judaism French romantic comedy films Cultural depictions of Woody Allen Films set in Paris 2010s French films