We'll Never Have Paris (2015)

I gave this movie a 3 because I really like Melanie Lynskey & I was excited to see Judith Light. I was only going to give it a 2, but Melanie was really delightful. I found the character "Quinn" beyond infuriating. The closing scene, where she is upset (but calm) & he has a FIT & is begging & screaming at her feet....unbelievably annoying. While this might be cute for some people, I found it disgusting. Behavior like that might be endearing the first or second time, but after ten years it will be the foremost issue in their relationship. Why? Because when she is upset he doesn't comfort her, he freaks out & forces her to comfort him. She never gets heard or comforted, she gets to spend the relationship in a cycle of him being the victim of every sick decision he makes. You can't create the situation & then claim to be a victim of it. My spouse & I were horrified that this was labeled as "romance".

My First review, I had to bring this to peoples attention… The most disappointing thing about this movie is that the trailer looks exceptional while the movie falls flat.My wife and I chose this unfortunate choice over a choice of 3 other "RomComs", needless to say we chose the wrong one. Helberg should stay in the Sitcoms where he is not the headliner, his breathing in the movie is very distracting and the acting is somewhat painful to watch.In the end I decided 15 minutes before the end that I could not take it anymore and went to bed….. early.There were a few mildly funny bits but the movie tends to distract from this very quickly with the serious notes.

Loving his from the Big Bang Theory, I went to watch this movie with Simon Helberg. I have to say that I was surprised by the IMDb rating at the beginning, and once the movie was over, I could not explain why it is so low. If I had the option I would give it a 6.5. I loved this movie cause it was a real story. It was funny at times and the only thing I could say about that is that I would expect it to be even more funnier given the fact that Simon is a really really comic figure. I did not care for the guy playing his friend at all. His fiancée in the movie performed brilliantly as all the other members of the cast. On the downside again, it was kind of a slow movie and could have used some more action, or a quicker progression of everything. The one thing I really loved though, and it's the only reason why I would suggest the movie, is the depiction of the character by Helberg. He is not the macho kind of the lover and the usual love story where everything happens as expected. He depicts a loving guy that also messes things up big time and a lot. He makes mistakes and once he tries to correct them, it does not work out for the best every time. For all these reasons, this is a really down-to-earth movie and realistic that I would definitely watch.

Simon Helberg wrote and co-directed this tale of a shlamazel with self esteem issues, a touch of OCD and a healthy dose of hypochondria. One suspects if Woody Allen had made this film it would have had better fleshed out supporting characters and the long term live-in girlfriend could have still worked if a better actress had been cast. As it is Melanie Lynksey's Devon is played with a constant scowl and annoyed unpleasant disconnected manner more befitting of a drama than a slapstick comedy. Kelsey the rebound prospect as played by Maggie Grace is brilliant and perfect for this genre, being the mad fly in the ointment of Quinn's plans. Sadly her contribution along with those of others including Quinn's father are poorly connected to Quinn's central character. The only other person who's role in the film was properly thought out is the best mate who's always there for support and advice. It's clear the rest of the script wasn't properly thought out or bound up before filming, which damages an otherwise great idea.We'll never have Paris aspires to be Manhattan and misses the mark by just enough to make it a bit of a drag in between gags. The saving graces of the film are Helberg's consummate Jewish man/boy and the brilliant soundtrack of French songs that given the fact most people won't understand them, serves well to give the film a light atmosphere in the same way jazz was used to great effect by another neurotic writer director.If you're going to make a film like this, make sure the hero ends up with the girl who is at least a bit sympathetic. By the end of the film Quinn has clearly succumbed to his fears and wears down the woman who is more mother than lover. Perhaps there is an element of reality in as much as Devon is well into married life without the benefit of having ever been asked. If you're intent on making her the prize at the end, her role needed to be written/acted with more effort than the sleepwalk we were treated to.We'll never have Paris could have been so much better and is proof that comedy without timing and empathy is only ever painful at best. You wish there was a reset button because it's almost there but for better casting and some fine tuning. I look forward to seeing Simon Helberg's next effort as I'm sure it has to be better than this.