Paris 36

Paris 36 is one of those films that I should absolutely despise. It’s cloying, overly cute, and incredibly manipulative, yet it’s so endearing that I couldn’t help but sit back and enjoy it nevertheless. Director Christophe Barratier (Les Choristes) has created a film that has a decidedly Hollywood-esque tone but somehow stays firmly planted in that magical realm that only French films seem to be able to pull off correctly.

The Chansonia, a theater in a small French town, is on the verge of closing when local landowner Galapiat (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu) gains control and shuts it down altogether. The lives of stage manager Pigoil (Gerard Jugnot), entertainer Jacky (Kad Merad), and union leader Milou (Clovis Cornillac) are thrown into poverty as they are suddenly out of work. In a rash decision, the trio decides to reopen the theater and restart from the bottom up. With the help of a beautiful young woman named Douce (Nora Arnezeder), will they succeed?

This is just the main plot of the film, as Paris 36 seems deceptively simple, yet, as the subplots begin to surface, it is obviously not the case. Barratier somehow keeps everything together, as the entire mish-mashed story somehow comes together in the end to produce a very satisfying and all around “nice” ending. The film doesn’t keep a steady balance throughout, though, and stumbles along in a couple of occasions, barring it from being labeled as a truly great film.

As said before, Paris 36 is a decidedly cutesy film that somehow prevents itself from going overboard…most of the time. The overbearing sentimentality that the film occasionally embodies rears its ugly head at many crucial points and, as a result, many of the pivotal emotional scenes in the film come across as being maudlin and ridiculous. A scene where two characters are reunited is especially robbed of all its touching qualities, as the two break into song in the middle of the street complete with a cute child playing an accordion. It feels unnecessarily false and frankly stupid, and as a result, the film suffers. This, unfortunately, happens one time too many.

The film redeems itself in the final half-hour, however, when we see the production that the characters have worked so hard to prepare over the course of the film. The musical numbers are great and imaginative, and it all feels very 1930s in a very refreshing sort of way. The actors and actresses are given time to shine here with plausible and satisfying material, especially Nora Arnezeder, whose voice is absolutely stunning. I only wish that it had come sooner in the film’s runtime.

Despite its flaws, I can safely say that Paris 36 is a satisfying film. When the film isn’t unnecessarily sentimental, it hits a lot of right notes, and there aren’t any poor performances to complain about in the least. Barratier has taken somewhat tired material and attempted to make it at least moderately entertaining, and, for the most part, succeeds. If you can look past the film’s manipulative nature, Paris 36 is a kindhearted and enjoyable French film that isn’t particularly life-changing but is oddly compelling nevertheless.

Look for it in New York and Los Angeles theaters April 3, 2009.