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Paris, Texas

Paris, Texas

1984
Drama
2h 25m
A man wanders out of the desert not knowing who he is. His brother finds him, and helps to pull his memory back of the life he led before he walked out on his wife and son four years before. (imdb)
Your probable score
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Paris, Texas

1984
Drama
2h 25m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 76.11% from 3543 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(3543)
Compact view
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Rated 17 Jan 2009
10
98th
A visual poem. Switching between partial and complete silence, whilst imbuing every colorful technicolor composition with a yearning for the unknown and for a past often only hinted at. A rare movie at once weirdly comfortable and uncomfortable in its own skin, its own celluloid. Just like Travis (the main character). One of the best reflections on loneliness and the search for forgiveness I've ever seen.
Rated 30 Oct 2017
84
90th
An affecting story about loss, sacrifice, the (self-made) barriers between people and the hope for something better. Perfect for a lazy, melancholy sunday. I had no idea this starred the late and great Harry Dean Stanton and that was such a welcome surprise. Straightforward but subtly beautiful/heartbreaking.
Rated 24 Jul 2007
5
91st
I doubt if there's another film anywhere in the world quite like this one. It has the languid melancholy of a Jim Jarmusch film, but instead of Jarmusch's off-kilter, surreal humor is a nostalgic aching. It feels like nothing less than an open diary of the thoughts and feelings of somebody who's been deeply wounded beyond comprehension or measure. Describing the magic it works on me is beyond my abilities, and I'm just as happy to keep it a mystery.
Rated 09 May 2010
9
90th
As quietly aching as its gorgeously shot Texan outback, Paris, Texas is a beautiful film about lost love and the void it often leaves behind. I love how Shepard adopts a nonjudgmental attitude towards his characters with Stanton perfectly capturing his character's loneliness and inner turmoil. This movie is to me like a good wine: given sufficient room to breathe, devoid of excessive substances and one that packs a hefty - and in this case emotional - punch. Highly recommended!
Rated 12 Apr 2009
97
96th
leaving the past behind often means making a hard cut. getting confronted with things from yesterday can hurt so much and it does take time to be back with your mind. some things might never be the same again.hard for yourself and even harder for your fellow men. wenders best work with awesome cinematographic moments enhanced through wonderful sounds by Cooder.some shots really left me breathless.
Rated 28 Mar 2018
80
90th
distance is a big theme here, between people, between places, between people and places...and how both can be together while miles apart, or be separate while closely together. some distances can't be overcome, while others were never really there. a family is scattered across wildly different plains of existence, and paris is in texas. it's not an easy watch, but a rewarding one.
Rated 21 Jan 2007
50
43rd
Over-praised. An atmospheric, evocative and intriguing beginning, well photographed, starring Harry Dean Stanton and with a great score by Ry Cooder, but all that is wasted when the story turns to contrived and uninteresting melodramatics. In the end it becomes silly.
Rated 08 May 2007
96
95th
It's a remarkable story of how we can't forgive ourselves for driving a wedge between ourselves and those we love most.
Rated 06 Nov 2008
75
90th
Legacy behind P.T. is frightening. I was convinced I had to force myself to sit through it. First attention to each and every framing caught my eye. Then the unique feeling got under my skin each and every minute. Disbelief got suspended. This is a very hard pacing to pull off and a director has to be suicidal to attempt it. Even if a bit overrated I'm sure it's uncopiable and unrepeatable. Ending is awful though (which took me back to beginning).
Rated 09 Apr 2009
6
55th
I liked it despite that horrible, melodramatic ending. The beginning hour is awesome but it just starts to gradually fall apart. The best part of the movie was the surprising (and satisfying) John Lurie cameo.
Rated 15 Feb 2010
85
92nd
Gorgeously shot film that is about a broken family and how one father deals with his own internalized jealousy, hurt, and emotional turmoil. Harry Dean Stanton is great in this but his character's past and his motivations for running are a little difficult to understand. The beginning 30 minutes of the film is also a bit odd and doesn't exactly fit the tone of the second half. I saw this film on blu-ray and it still looks very timeless. Even with its flaws overall it's still a pretty great film.
Rated 05 Mar 2010
85
94th
Aesthetically pleasing. Understated. Simple. Beautiful. The monologue at the end is one to behold. A great movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
98th
Wonderful, and rewards repeated viewings. Wenders is a patient and sensitive director, but his writing tends toward meandering, artsy pomposity. Fortunately, L.M. Kit Carson (better known for Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) penned a great adaptation of what must be a great book by Sam Shepard, giving Wenders an opportunity to show just how focused and attentive he can be when given a good story. HDS and Kinski's performances in particular are unforgettable.
Rated 20 Mar 2009
96
97th
great movie,I guess everyone feels like running away and getting lost from time to time
Rated 01 Jun 2009
8
80th
Little by little we piece together the story until it finally comes together full circle at the very end. The ending moments are poetic.
Rated 19 Apr 2008
95
99th
Hated it when I saw it on TV as a teenager, turned it off (Boooo-ring, right? WRONG!). Decided to give it another shot 15 years and some 1,000 movies later and never regretted it. "Paris, Texas" is truthful, stunningly beautiful, deeply compelling and memorable. The "peep show sequence" is one of the most stirring things I've ever experienced in a movie and it is where the story arc comes full circle so you finally UNDERSTAND what the subdued performances had only been hinting at so far. Wow.
Rated 26 Apr 2008
90
91st
Genuinly touching; it manage to mirror conditions and longings universally valid... The sincere ambiguity disclosing a deliberate (but often far from assertive) compassion for the characters - and an understanding of the outlandish human spirit - enforce heartfelt empathy.
Rated 31 Jan 2009
97
99th
Now THIS is film-making!
Rated 14 Dec 2009
80
80th
It starts with images of a barren landscape and a man confused and lost. Gradually, these themes are introduced into the plot as he is reintroduced to his life. Wenders deserves praise for attempting to make a film that purposefully feels so devoid of emotion, but this does effect the pacing. Overall a strong film which I'll probably enjoy more as I get older.
Rated 19 Sep 2011
99
99th
A perfect sunya of urban and deserted, living in the wilde void or the family dream. Lucky are these that this film is strange to their bodys and yet, planted deep down in their hearts, enough to enjoy this remarkable example of cinematic art.
Rated 17 Nov 2012
82
80th
It's one for atmosphere and cinematography. Beautifully shot. The story doesn't quite hold up to the imagery.
Rated 10 Jan 2013
100
99th
The whole film feels like it's just building up to the climactic 20 minute dialogue which is devastating and one of my favourite scenes in all of cinema.
Rated 07 Nov 2013
75
72nd
"Paris, Texas" represents what happens when a very simple, mundane even script falls into the hands of a brilliant arthouse auteur. Wenders lends the film its beauty, holding onto the silent moments, enriching the color palette and adding a magnificent countryish soundtrack. The actors are also great -Stanton is particularly excellent in an understated turn. But the story at the center is one-note and even melodramatic. Still, Wenders' vision assures the film's emotional resonance.
Rated 12 Mar 2015
95
97th
Everything in the film - Harry Dean Stanton's stoic performance, Ry Cooder's masterful slide guitar music, the elegiac photography of rural America and the bittersweet ending - comes together to create an altogether bleak but beautiful work of art.
Rated 19 Sep 2016
98
99th
Someday, I will find the words to tell you what this movie means to me. I can't recall a movie with better pacing or writing. It meandered in moments of being lost, causing the audience to feel the same. It refused to let you leave the moments of devastation, even when the characters were gone. I think that why it has had such a lasting effect on me. Wim Wenders direction, Carson's adaptation, Stanton's performance - there were so many things to love. And I won't stop loving them.
Rated 29 Sep 2017
74
56th
Mysterious road movie dissolves into artful Jerry Springer episode. Great visuals, potent color scheme (strong greens vs. red, white, blue), Ry Cooder's score fits perfectly. It's cool that Wenders let the kid improvise lines but every time he spoke the movie got worse. The final scene rambles for ten minutes too long but it's one of Harry Dean Stanton's finest moments - a one-way mirror confessional from a man haunted, unable to confront himself. His pathos is remarkable.
Rated 03 Dec 2020
93
99th
You say Paris and the other thinks of France.The pause that will precede the clarification,the pause that will fill the gap between what our mother really was and her idea,the idea that perhaps a built Paris is more important than a deserted one,in the idea that ideas are more important than the truth of people,than the truth that so often it's unbearable for two people to live together and to lock the truth of one with the truth of the other,in this pause people stand and get hurted.
Rated 15 Aug 2021
81
83rd
Creates a wonderful laid back aesthetic and rhythm that's only slightly broken by the half-assed narrative that doesn't seem to know how to allocate tension. Struggles maintaing focus or the lack of it in a truly rewarding way but finds evocative poetic approaches to American road and family that feel effortlessly whole, especially with Harry Dean Stanton wandering between them.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
54
10th
Cheap symbolism, cheap quirky gimmicks (these must be more lame stories about amnesia than actual cases of amnesia), cheap dramatics. I don't care much for Harry Dean Stanton in the first place, his sad sack routine gets tiresome. The film sets up a melancholy little mystery for which the payoff is beyond disappointing. Nothing that happens in the entire movie feels genuine. It's not boring, but it sure isn't very satisfying. Some nice visuals, though.
Rated 14 Sep 2008
80
67th
It is an interesting movie, complex characters, absorbing plot. Harry Dean Stanton is a real great, too much overseen actor.
Rated 18 Dec 2008
9
92nd
Great movie.. awesome music by Ry Cooder.
Rated 19 Oct 2009
90
94th
Wonderful film that captivated me much more than I expected. Even though it's one single story the film really feels split in two with regard to pacing and theme, with each part having it's own climax. Even though I couldn't relate to the characters I really felt connected to them, the mark of a good film. The ending felt a little off to me in a way I can't describe without spoiling it, but it did have some level of appropriateness to the characters.
Rated 26 Dec 2009
93
97th
Just chocked me in every single way. Unforgettable, beautiful.
Rated 02 Aug 2010
89
72nd
Wonderfully constructed final act; obviously fantastic aesthetics that really pull you into the story. Spoiler of sorts: a bit problematic, narratively, as the film spends so much time building up the Walt and Anne characters only to completely abandon them half way through.
Rated 04 Aug 2010
91
94th
One of the best cinematic depictions of a deep internal ache, of an all-encompassing regret, and of love and loss. Wenders’ America is vast and somewhat desolate, but not beyond hope or redemption.
Rated 23 Aug 2010
83
78th
An interesting exploration of a man and his feelings as we follow his discovery of who he is and was. We don't get bogged down too much by details, with the story only giving as much as it needs to in order to make sense of what's happening. The change in scenery that takes us from the barren desert to the busy city as Travis' life comes back into focus is brilliantly executed and Harry Dean Stanton's performance is terrific.
Rated 13 Jan 2011
54
42nd
A long slog on the way to its final facile revelations. Filling the silences and words with memory is some handsome Americana.
Rated 30 Jun 2011
74
83rd
I like the first half (or so) the best; the plot seems to wander around vaguely with a lot of themes bubbling under the surface but none of them really coming to the fore. At some point it takes off into melodrama, where a lot wouldn't really make sense in a world without an audience. The long dialogue scene is the most Bergmanian thing I've seen outside of Bergman, and while it's well-done, it didn't really satisfy my longing to escape back to a less contrived world.
Rated 19 Jul 2011
95
98th
Poetic filmmaking at its best - with a mesmerising Harry Dean Stanton.
Rated 13 Aug 2011
80
68th
I felt it sagged in the middle (Wenders spent way too long in LA, my interest began to drift around the point the sassy Mexican lady showed up) but the opening and closing sections in Texas are just about perfect, so hey.
Rated 28 Jun 2012
97
99th
A heartbreaking exploration of forgiveness, alienation, loneliness and reationships. Every aspect of this movie is perfect.
Rated 22 Jul 2012
88
80th
Captivating film. The contemplative, almost dreamy pace of the film is perfect for its subject of isolation and emptiness where one spends most of his time in his head wandering and wondering. Harry Stanton's acting is brilliant and captures his subtly complex character greatly, especially for the opening and the conclusion.
Rated 14 Sep 2012
50
56th
Very disappointed, so slow and boring. But that's fine ( slowness) if there is some payoff or whatever. This is just a bad story. And what the fuck, did that kid chew a bunch of feathers before speaking? Sounded like his mouth was full of feathers. However, it is a visual masterpiece.
Rated 23 Mar 2013
79
80th
filmic poetry
Rated 09 Nov 2014
85
85th
I think I almost cried during the last couple scenes, either because I was emotionally moved or because I didn't want to blink, I'm not sure which. If you like the character studies in The Searchers and/or Taxi Driver, or the marginal America of Easy Rider and/or Five Easy Pieces, then you'll probably like this. Beautiful cinematography and brilliant performances all around to boot.
Rated 08 Jan 2015
7
94th
the title is a paradox of course, visualised most memorably when that great institution of american cinema - the car chase - comes to a fork in the road, identical cars taking each route. then there's the plot of land to which it refers; seen only in a photo, and empty just like the vistas and highways are empty, yet pregnant with potential for any idealist who may look at it. the american dream as naive and illusory, but also as inspiration, a place of conception and the possibility to rebuild.
Rated 13 Jan 2015
90
74th
There's many things to like about this movie, but a big problem I have with it is how disappointed I was with the ending and about the last 30 minutes leading up to it. The 2 way mirror scene starts off fine, but I don't know why Stanton's character makes that decision at the end. I just felt so disappointed. I've also never watched a movie in so many small increments. I probably stopped and came back to it 5 or 6 times, it moves at a molasses pace. Beautiful cinematography too. <3 Robby Mull
Rated 26 Jul 2015
70
28th
Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this kind of movie but despite some stellar cinematography and some great performances I thought it was boring and never felt any real emotional impact in its melodramatic setup. Felt to me like Terrence Malick done wrong. Might have to give it another chance as I seem to be the only one not satisfied with it.
Rated 02 Aug 2016
91
87th
There is something so spacious, graceful and wonderful about this; so many strands to pick and connect and put together and then release and re-shuffle. The pace, Ry Cooder's soundtrack, the vast and somewhat drained landscape all work sublimely with the restrained storytelling and, in contrast, potent dialogue. Also, Hunter is a wonderful kid.
Rated 25 Sep 2017
100
98th
Sublime. I've driven these lost highways and, yes, there's nothing out there, but God if it isn't beautiful.
Rated 26 Jan 2021
97
97th
I could stare at Harry Dean Stanton's face for an eon
Rated 30 Jan 2022
50
14th
I won't deny that the final bit had some solid emotional oomph, even if his confessional went on a little too long. I also won't deny that Stanton was great. Can't hate on the colour usage, cinematography and directing in general, because the movie was at least visually interesting. But this was a slog. It meandered way too much. The story was ho-hum, never really going anywhere, creating a mystery that the reveal didn't live up to. And the kid was atrocious, except the hug at the end.
Rated 05 Apr 2023
10
99th
I'm fairly blown away - this is one of the best movies I've watched in forever. I don't know shit about Wim Wenders but I'm at a loss how a German director just infused 2 1/2 hours of screen time with such pure raw old school Americana energy. The vistas and driving scenes and skylines and use of color is art. Harry Dean Stanton is brilliant. Nastassja Kinski is extraterrestrially luminous in a way I can't name a single contemporary actress who compares.
Rated 02 Mar 2007
70
82nd
Great film.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
86
84th
Can't believe this film was made before I was born. It seemed prescient, vivid and contemporary when I first saw it, and that was decades ago.
Rated 30 Oct 2007
95
95th
30 Ekim 07 - dvd-
Rated 13 Nov 2007
9
0th
This was just dull & awful! Not even a decent script, and why do people think autism is an estimable acting style? Definitely check out Tender Mercies instead: similar theme, better acting, amazing script.
Rated 01 Mar 2008
85
76th
# 299
Rated 10 Apr 2008
85
69th
great music
Rated 02 Aug 2008
80
92nd
America!
Rated 19 Dec 2008
85
70th
299
Rated 11 Feb 2009
93
87th
Spectacular.
Rated 01 Aug 2009
9
98th
It's not too slow, but it is very contemplative and subtle. Can't say I mind that one bit. It's melodramatic, but never in such a way that feels manipulative. It reels you in slowly and its themes are developed with great care. The ending will hit you hard. Needs to be seen twice.
Rated 21 Dec 2009
82
52nd
Odd, moving. I remember that Harry Dean Stanton is very very good in this.
Rated 13 Jan 2010
84
68th
313
Rated 26 Jan 2010
7
99th
It felt long, but I can't think of anything that needed to be cut. Wonderfully concise and beautiful in its ambiguity.
Rated 03 Aug 2010
94
96th
This film, that monologue.
Rated 06 Sep 2010
91
93rd
Perhaps the handling of the story is a bit too slow and careful, but it's perhaps worth it because of the emotions felt in the third act; one of the most heart-warming and heart-breaking endings in motion picture history.
Rated 24 Nov 2010
88
99th
Virtually impeccable: perfectly casted, meticulously shot, and written with subtlety, originality, and surprising depth.
Rated 26 Nov 2010
35
90th
"Paris, Texas may be missing a crucial piece of authentic Americana, but it still evokes an America most Americans yearn to gaze on." - Joseph Jon Lanthier
Rated 02 Dec 2010
95
95th
one of the very few films that can bring me to tears
Rated 13 Jan 2011
100
80th
one of the best movies I have ever seen. A truly love in a family.
Rated 14 Jan 2011
61
17th
Beautifully shot, but sooooooooo slow. So slow. I know I should give this a higher ranking, because it's clearly a good movie, but I don't know. Wim Wenders gets on my nerves. The idea of Wim Wenders annoys me.
Rated 30 Jan 2011
80
68th
The folks with whom I saw this movie think it slow. I don't. I'd use the word "meditative", or perhaps "unhurried". It's a good human story in which extraordinary feelings and actions are made very down to earth and believable, and also a textbook example of the ongoing Wenders theme of alienation. After so many normal movies, a movie as individual as this is a breath of fresh air
Rated 02 Mar 2011
80
47th
A unique film about a unique but caring man.
Rated 07 Jul 2011
100
97th
A wonderful drama from Wenders. With its slow, meditative pace, the director takes a huge risk with the film in that it completely relies on its cathartic final half, which if it was botched would have undermined the film badly. Thankfully the ending is magnificent, helped throughout the narrative by the performances by everyone in the film and the directorial skills of Wenders. It lives up to its acclaim completely.
Rated 14 Oct 2011
85
92nd
It's powerfully intense, and the character's emotions seem to be in some place between anxiety and total despair. But Travis, always a man on his own, a man who simply doesn't understand what happened to him -- and he's afraid that this dark event might just happen again -- and needs to make his way through life all by himself. Lonely and distant like this little town called Paris, Texas.
Rated 30 Nov 2011
86
72nd
#289
Rated 04 Jan 2012
99
99th
One of my favorite movies. Fantastic performances.
Rated 09 Jan 2012
85
84th
This film just has a magical quality to it. I never really cared about the central mystery, what I did care about was the characters and their reactions to finding what they were looking for. I thought the combination of understated acting and emotionally charged dialogue really worked well. And then there's the cinematography - beautiful landscape shots and vivid colors in both indoor and outdoor scenes. Wonderful film.
Rated 15 Jan 2012
65
54th
This is a pretty slow-moving and simplistic film, but not in a bad way. The film uses magnificent colours to show the landscape of Texas. I don't think I've really seen Harry Dean Stanton in a starring role before, and he was great. Really nicely-shot and full of quiet and real emotion.
Rated 28 Jan 2012
100
95th
watched: 2012, 2020
Rated 21 Feb 2012
95
93rd
Really loved the Texas atmosphere in this film. Made me want to drive across the country and explore the desert, looking for old neon-lit motels. This is a great story, masterfully directed by Wim Wenders, with excellent performances from Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski and the fascinating Dean Stockwell. Plus, John Lurie appears and I yelled out "John Lurie!" (two times)
Rated 24 Apr 2012
75
84th
how would i miss this movie.
Rated 01 Aug 2012
90
95th
Rewatch. Just amazing in terms of style/mood. Wenders best out of the ones I've seen.
Rated 05 Oct 2012
95
78th
Beautiful, poignant... This is storytelling at its finest.
Rated 02 Jan 2013
100
99th
yalnızlık, aile, özlem, pişmanlık, kaçış arayışı, yerleşme arayışı, tekrar kaçış arayışı ,tekrar pişmanlık, endişe, kaygı, sonunda mutluluk, mutluluğun son olmaması.
Rated 22 Mar 2013
84
60th
Cast is key. Harry Dean Stanton realy lives up to the part. The story is very heartmelting, but at some point it kind of drags a little.
Rated 22 Jul 2013
75
59th
Beautiful cinematography perfectly captures the isolation and loneliness of the lead character perfectly played by Stanton. Somehow I expected more so will give this another viewing.
Rated 29 Jul 2013
35
5th
Um, was I supposed to get more than pretty bad melodrama from this?
Rated 01 Aug 2013
20
4th
anne-ogul- baba-ogul, ayrilmis cift (4 senedir kayip olan Travis, çölün ortasinda bulunur erkek kardesine haber verilir. Kardesi Travis'i alir evine getirir. Travis yolculuk boyunca konusmaz. Ucaga binmez. Travis'in oglu Hunter amcasi ve yengesi tarafindan büyütülmüstür. Babasi Hunter ile iletisim kurmaya calisir. İletisim kurduktan sonra Houstun'da ki annesini aramaya giderler. Anneyi bulurlar. geneleve benzer bir clubta calismaktadir. Travis esiyle konusur. TÃœRK FİLMİ GİB&#
Rated 16 Aug 2013
95
97th
My favorite film. Beautiful, from the treatment of its content to its photography. Acting is fantastic all the way around. Not much can be said that hasn't been already.
Rated 27 Aug 2013
99
98th
Maybe it makes a certain kind of sense that one of the best movies about America was made by a European filmmaker. Travis's life is shaped by ideals, not unlike the American dream: his brother's family, his estranged wife, a home in Paris. Yet, like the American dream, all of these ideals prove elusive, and fail to live up to what they represent. Early in the film, Walt asks Travis, "What are you looking for? There's nothing out there."
Rated 11 Oct 2013
4
52nd
the opening, from the location to the attire to the music, suggests something coenesque to follow, but rather we're treated (or not) to a rather simple and sentimental drama on family nostalgia. it has a big heart, and it isn't too blunt with its emotional mallet, but it was just a bit too contrived to get close to what its critical acclaim deserves.
Rated 12 Oct 2013
99
99th
If this isn't my favorite film, it's a close second. Some people won't like this because of its slow pace, but that's their loss. I've never been more emotionally affected by a film than this. It brings me to tears every time. The cinematography is wonderful as well.
Rated 23 Oct 2013
90
97th
Shepard'ın 'Motel Günlükleri' kitabını okuduktan sonra bu filmi izlemiştim. Kendi topraklarını ve kültürünü şiirli dille estetize edeni nadir görülür. Film ise bu güzelliğin ve şiirselliğin karelere yansımış hali. Özellikle renklerin tonu ve mekan seçimleri filme karakteristik katmış.
Rated 20 Nov 2013
90
96th
reminds me of Walker Percy's writing on the grand canyon
Rated 11 Feb 2014
10
97th
How I have somehow been skipping past Wenders films for so long boggles me. Will be rectified.
Rated 23 May 2014
71
84th
A meanding, but beautifully filmed, odd duck of a movie. Harry does his best work, but it peters out in the end. Still very well made.
Rated 16 Aug 2014
94
97th
A beautiful story of self-sacrifice; sometimes the best way to help those you love is to get the fuck away from them. Wender's direction is confidently paced, always allowing a scene to go on as long as it needs to. The cinematography is gorgeous without drawing too much attention to itself. I was drawn in to the simple story and fascinated by Stanton's character; his performance is really something special. He has a wise but sad presence that's perfect for this role. What a great movie.

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