Supposedly the French are stubborn. That is what is the prime mover in this entire narrative, which does not beautify New York as much as Woody Allen would had he been behind the lens. And interestingly, this is a very Woody Allen picture. Or late Woody Allen picture, where he explores the emotions of evanescent souls going to and from nowhere, except in the pulsation of their passions and the reactions made by the environment to them.

And that is what is shown here. There is no concern for anything beyond the main aim of the protagonist: to get the girl. This, mind you, is a girl that unabashedly cheats. “John” knows that as she leaves to fly back to NY. Does he care? Why is it important that he value a woman’s sanctity over profanity? Traditionally because it means a woman well-suited for mother hood; a person who one can rely upon as years march into the twilight. More philosophically speaking, a female who controls her life rationally, and not simply by bouncing around where the world takes her.

Clearly then, the “romance” of such a plot is superficial. There is no profound intimacy between “John” and the girl. His drive to steal her is simply a sexual desire made conscious. It has no connection with a transcendent coordination between himself and her. As in, they were made for each other. That couldn’t even be uttered by him. Only that she was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. This is a narcissistic desire then. He reaches out to her to grab something he wants, without the consideration of anyone else.

The frightening thing is that he wins.

Grade: C