Customer Reviews

Forget Paris (Widescreen/Full Screen)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This delightful peek into the romance and marriage of two very unlikely individuals was as much fun for me this time around as it was when I first saw it a few years ago.

Billy Crystal is great with the comedic repartee and Debra Winger is watchable in everything she does.

They meet under unusual circumstances - Mickey, the Billy Crystal character, is a referee who flies to Paris to bury his father. When the casket turns up missing, Mickey spends hours in the airport, seeking the help of various customer service employees, trying to locate his father's body. Then he meets Ellen (Debra Winger), who gives him the news that his father's body has been found - plus, the airlines is covering expenses, including his hotel, and bumping him up to first class for his return home.

Then somehow, the two click. Ellen shows Mickey around Paris. As they enjoy the sights, they begin a romantic love affair.

Inevitably, their week in Paris is at an end.

What is fun about the movie is following Mickey and Ellen's journey as they face all the usual obstacles in their relationship.

I deducted one star because, while fun and intriguing, the plot was fairly predictable and reminded me of many other such movies. However, Forget Paris (Widescreen/Full Screen) was unforgettable despite these flaws.

This is not a great movie, but I have to admit it is better than most romantic comedies out there. There are at least two or three "laugh-out-loud" moments (my favorite is the pigeon scene), but for the most part it is just okay. I thought my lack of enthusiasm could be attributed to the fact that this is more of a "chick flick," but alas, my wife felt the same way.

Using the friends of the main characters to tell the story in flashback is an interesting device, but overall this film is only a little bit better than average.

Debra Winger and Billy Crystal are surprisingly well matched in this romantic comedy. The two meet in Paris where Mickey Gordon (Crystal) has come to bury is father, a WWII vet for whom Mickey had little love. When papa's coffin gets lost, it falls to Ellen Andrews (Winger), an airline exec to help him out. Paris is magical, and they fall in love. Unfortunately, while there love endures, that Parisian spark doesn't survive the wedding. Crystal's bachelor life proves harder to leave behind than he thought (Mickey has what amounts to Bill Crystal's dream job - as an utterly fearless NBA ref - but may have to sacrifice it; He may also have to bear living with Winger's dementia-plagued father played by William Hickey). She may have to bear the obvious unhappiness of causing Mickey to lose his dream job, not to mention his loutish friends, including Joe Mantegna as a sportswriter, and primetime TV vet John Spencer ("LA Law", "West Wing") as a serial divorcee who derisively refers to his latest spouse as "the new Mrs. Jack."

If "Paris" is uneven it's because it's trying to be a romantic comedy that is often not very romantic or that funny. Still, the flick knows when to light things up (much of the story is told over dinner by Mickey's friends - especially Mantegna who display's a reporter's knack for knowing where his audience's attentions will flag, and a gift for reclaiming them) and in the end, romance wins.

Genuinely funny and original! From the opening, you'll be both touched and thoroughly entertained by this truly romantic comedy!

Billy Crystal is wonderful as a slightly neurotic basketball referee and Debra Winger is convincing as an ascending career woman who finds herself torn between love, Paris, and her job.

Highly recommended.

This review refers to the Warner Bros. DVD edition of "Forget Paris".....

Andy and Liz(Joe Mantegna/Cynthia Stevenson) are about to take the plunge. You know, tie the knot, add the ball and chain,,the Big "M"...Marriage!. But wait...at their pre-wedding celebration dinner, Liz is meeting all of Andy's friends and what a tale they have to tell..

The story of Mickey and Ellen(Billy Crystal/Debra Winger) begins to unfold as each of the couples take their turn relating the events, and they're not always the picture of wedded bliss!

Mickey and Ellen met under unusual circumstances. It seems Mickey's deceased father "got lost" on the way to Paris for a burial.Ellen is a supervisor at the Paris airport and helps Mickey find and bury his father. And so it begins..they fall in love and have a long distance(there's the little matter of a pond)relationship.They finally marry and live happily ever after...NOT....well maybe...

It's one thing after another, as these two try to adapt to the other's world. The laughs and the smiles are non stop, and when Ellen's Dad(William Hickey) comes into the picture you know you're in for a treat!

A well seasoned cast keeps the story moving beautifully. It includes Julie Kavner, Richard Masur, Cathy Moriariarty and John Spencer. Mickey is a basketball referee, so you're also treated to some wonderful cameos by some sports legends. Billy Crystal directs and also wrote it along with Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel.

The DVD is beautiful. It has an excellent picture and colors and you have the choice of widescreen or the standard version. The sound is in Dolby Digital Stereo surround and the wonderful music is nicely spaced. The soundtrack is also marvelous. Besides the original score(Marc Shaiman) and songs by Carole Bayer Sager and Anita Baker, you may also fall in love again with tunes by Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Cole Porter.

Get romantic,watch some basketball, have a good laugh...and...enjoy...Laurie

Whatever paeans are sung to this impeccable lark of a flick will fall short of my true love and awe for it -- it is funny, very very well made and edited (not one boring or drawn out scene), both Debra Winger and Billy Crystal have a delectable chemistry and are in top form with their punchlines, and above all, this is a story that is so real and credible in its romance and emotions, one can almost _immediately_ identify with it. The story's narrative is in the reins of a bunch of people over a dinner table (quite an innovative flow as we lead Mickey and Ellen's lives -- Crystal and Winger respectively). The scenes and situations revolve around the couple's romance and the rough waters that they have to wade through, some touching, most quite interesting. And last but not the least, it just picks up some of the most beautiful songs by Cole Porter, the Gershwins and some other great american composers. This is all-round amazing entertainment -- pity it's not a sin to watch, or it would be as near bloody perfect as cinema can get!

I have never been a huge fan of romantic comedies, but Forget Paris is a rare exception. The film stands out because of its superior writing, structure, and performances. Billy Crystal is in perfect form, and Debra Winger plays the perfect foil, showcasing her rarely-seen comedic talents. The supporting cast fills out the ensemble nicely.

I found the structure of the movie entirely engaging. Although the film could have been told as a straight story, the flashback devices kept me pulled into the story. In sum, this is not a film to be missed--even those who don't particularly care for romantic comedies will enjoy it.

Forget Paris is indeed a charming romantic comedy. Billy Crystal is his usual wise cracking self and Debra Winger fits in decently as his love interest. I like the way the story seems to weave as each of the supporting cast members relate an amusing anecdote about our star couple. Several hillarious moments include when Crystal and Winger are in therapy and the reactions of the different psychologists. Love Crystal's retort to a couple psychologist team,"When do you get involved, when there is gunplay!"

Overall, the story is pretty similar to When Harry Met Sally. In some ways its a little irrealsitic. Nonetheless, there are some comedic moments that will keep you amused.

A PINT SIZED BASKETBALL REFEREE,A DEAD BODY AND THE EIFFEL TOWER.WHAT DO YOU GET?YOU GET A QUIRKY CUTE LOVE STORY STARRING BILLY CRYSTAL AND DEBRA WINGER.
THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE FILMS TO WATCH OVER AND OVER.THE WAY THE STORY IS LAID OUT IS ORIGINAL,AND WITH ALL THE ANTICS THAT GO ON YOU WOULD BE MAD TO MISS IT!!
WATCH OUT FOR THE BIRD ON HEAD SCENE-ITS HILARIOUS!!

Crystal is at his warmest and funniest and Winger her most endearing in this classic romance. Irresistably drawn in by the roller coaster relationship between the rigid referee (Crystal) and the classy lady (Winger), you will love the round-the-table recounting of their story by their closest friends. A very satisfying film we have watched and rewatched a dozen times or more, you will never forget "Forget Paris".