50 Movies That Will Have You Fall in Love With Paris
As the 2024 Olympics gear up for its stay in Paris from July 26 to August 11, we’re celebrating the on-screen history of the French capital with our guide to 50 movies that will make you fall in love with Paris! With a nickname like the City of Love, of course we’re feeling romance and romantic comedies in the air, including Before Sunrise, Midnight in Paris, Best Picture Oscar-winner An American in Paris, and Amelie.
Paris has been a monumental influence on the French New Wave movement of the 1950s and 1960s, as seen in The 400 Blows and Breathless. And there’s plenty of reason to say ‘action!’ with District B13, La Femme Nikita, and Leon: The Professional. Meanwhile, we also included movies that pay tribute to Paris with their own fully-constructed sets and worlds but filmed elsewhere, like Ratatouille, Moulin Rouge, and Sabrina.
Per usual, the list is sorted by Tomatometer, with Certified Fresh films first, which include Charade, Hugo, La vie en rose, Julie & Julia, and The Intouchables.
#1
Adjusted Score: 106022%
Critics Consensus: Moving without resorting to melodrama, BPM offers an engrossing look at a pivotal period in history that lingers long after the closing credits roll.
Synopsis: Nathan is a young man who joins an AIDS activist group in 1990s Paris. As he attends the weekly meetings,… [More]
Starring: Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Arnaud Valois, Adèle Haenel, Antoine Reinartz
Directed By: Robin Campillo
#2
Adjusted Score: 107067%
Critics Consensus: A seminal French New Wave film that offers an honest, sympathetic, and wholly heartbreaking observation of adolescence without trite nostalgia.
Synopsis: For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including… [More]
Starring: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Remy, Guy Decomble
Directed By: François Truffaut
#3
Adjusted Score: 102906%
Critics Consensus:Paris Is Burning dives into ’80s transgender subculture, with the understated camera allowing this world to flourish and the people to speak (and dance) for themselves.
Synopsis: This documentary focuses on drag queens living in New York City and their “house” culture, which provides a sense of… [More]
Starring: André Christian, Freddie Pendavis, Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija
Directed By: Jennie Livingston
#4
Adjusted Score: 106251%
Critics Consensus: Fast-paced and stunningly animated, Ratatouille adds another delightfully entertaining entry — and a rather unlikely hero — to the Pixar canon.
Synopsis: Remy (Patton Oswalt), a resident of Paris, appreciates good food and has quite a sophisticated palate. He would love to… [More]
Starring: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy
Directed By: Brad Bird
#5
Adjusted Score: 105344%
Critics Consensus:Breathless rewrote the rules of cinema — and more than 50 years after its arrival, Jean-Luc Godard’s paradigm-shifting classic remains every bit as vital.
Synopsis: Petty thug Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo) considers himself a suave bad guy in the manner of Humphrey Bogart, but panics and… [More]
Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Daniel Boulanger, Jean-Pierre Melville
Directed By: Jean-Luc Godard
#6
Adjusted Score: 104976%
Critics Consensus: Elevated by a remarkable Franz Rogowski performance, Passages adds another smart, deeply humanistic film to director/co-writer Ira Sachs’ estimable filmography.
Synopsis: Celebrated filmmaker Ira Sachs (Love is Strange) makes a breathtaking return with PASSAGES, a fresh, honest and brutally funny take… [More]
Starring: Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Erwan Kepoa Falé
Directed By: Ira Sachs
#7
Adjusted Score: 112255%
Critics Consensus: The plot may be problematic, but such concerns are rendered superfluous by Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron’s star power, the Gershwins’ classic songs, and Vincente Minnelli’s colorful, sympathetic direction.
Synopsis: Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) is an American ex-GI who stays in post-war Paris to become a painter, and falls for… [More]
Starring: Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary
Directed By: Vincente Minnelli
#8
Adjusted Score: 99816%
Critics Consensus: Filled with engaging dialogue, Before Sunset is a witty, poignant romance, with natural chemistry between Hawke and Delpy.
Synopsis: A sequel to “Before Sunrise,” this film starts nine years later as Jesse (Ethan Hawke) travels across Europe giving readings… [More]
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Vernon Dobtcheff, Louise Lemoine Torres
Directed By: Richard Linklater
#9
Adjusted Score: 103465%
Critics Consensus: Led by a luminous Lesley Manville, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a good old-fashioned story charmingly told.
Synopsis: In partnership with the House of Dior, MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS tells the story of a widowed cleaning lady… [More]
Starring: Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Jason Isaacs, Anna Chancellor
Directed By: Anthony Fabian
#10
Adjusted Score: 100497%
Critics Consensus: A globetrotting caper that prizes its idiosyncratic pieces over the general puzzle, Charade is a delightful romp with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn’s sparkling chemistry at the center of some perfectly orchestrated mayhem.
Synopsis: After Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) falls for the dashing Peter Joshua (Cary Grant) on a skiing holiday in the French… [More]
Starring: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn
Directed By: Stanley Donen
#11
Adjusted Score: 102410%
Critics Consensus:Hugo is an extravagant, elegant fantasy with an innocence lacking in many modern kids’ movies, and one that emanates an unabashed love for the magic of cinema.
Synopsis: Orphaned and alone except for an uncle, Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) lives in the walls of a train station in… [More]
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz
Directed By: Martin Scorsese
#12
Adjusted Score: 102101%
Critics Consensus: It may not boast the depth of his classic films, but the sweetly sentimental Midnight in Paris is funny and charming enough to satisfy Woody Allen fans.
Synopsis: Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) is a screenwriter and aspiring novelist. Vacationing in Paris with his fiancee (Rachel McAdams), he has… [More]
Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen
Directed By: Woody Allen
#13
Adjusted Score: 101055%
Critics Consensus: Mesmerizingly strange and willfully perverse, Holy Motors offers an unforgettable visual feast alongside a spellbinding — albeit unapologetically challenging — narrative.
Synopsis: Driven around Paris by a loyal driver (Edith Scob), a mysterious man (Denis Lavant) dresses up in costumes and plays… [More]
Starring: Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue
Directed By: Leos Carax
#14
Adjusted Score: 98675%
Critics Consensus: The feel-good Amelie is a lively, fanciful charmer, showcasing Audrey Tautou as its delightful heroine.
Synopsis: “Amélie” is a fanciful comedy about a young woman who discretely orchestrates the lives of the people around her, creating… [More]
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, Yolande Moreau
Directed By: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
#15
Adjusted Score: 93499%
Critics Consensus: A zany out-of-control thriller that gives lead Anne Parillaud a big character arc and plenty of emotional room to work within.
Synopsis: Convicted felon Nikita (Anne Parillaud), instead of going to jail, is given a new identity and trained to be a… [More]
Starring: Anne Parillaud, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Tchéky Karyo, Jeanne Moreau
Directed By: Luc Besson
#16
Adjusted Score: 98841%
Critics Consensus: With its humorous script and its stars’ immense charm, Sabrina remains a resonant romantic gem.
Synopsis: Chauffeur’s daughter Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) returns home from two years in Paris a beautiful young woman, and immediately catches the… [More]
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Walter Hampden
Directed By: Billy Wilder
#17
Adjusted Score: 92338%
Critics Consensus: Delpy proves not only to be an adept actress, but makes her mark as a writer and director in this thought-provoking comedy that breaks the romantic comedy mold.
Synopsis: A European vacation was intended to repair the tattered relationship between American Jack (Adam Goldberg) and French native Marion (Julie… [More]
Starring: Julie Delpy, Adam Goldberg, Daniel Brühl, Albert Delpy
Directed By: Julie Delpy
#18
Adjusted Score: 99397%
Critics Consensus: It may not be one of Vincente Minnelli’s best, but the charming and flawlessly acted Gigi still offers enough visual and musical treats to satisfy.
Synopsis: Gaston (Louis Jourdan) is a restless Parisian playboy who moves from one mistress to another, while also spending time with… [More]
Starring: Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold
Directed By: Vincente Minnelli
#19
Adjusted Score: 93369%
Critics Consensus: A timeless and elegant musical feast, Funny Face thrives on the agile and vibrant performances from legendary screen titans Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire.
Synopsis: Dispatched on an assignment, New York City-based fashion photographer Dick Avery (Fred Astaire) is struck by the beauty of Jo… [More]
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Kay Thompson, Michel Auclair
Directed By: Stanley Donen
#20
Adjusted Score: 90129%
Critics Consensus:Paris Je T’aime is uneven, but there are more than enough delightful moments in this omnibus tribute to the City of Lights to tip the scale in its favor.
Synopsis: A collection has 18 vignettes set in Paris. In “Bastille,” a man (Sergio Castellitto) considers leaving his wife (Miranda Richardson)… [More]
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Nick Nolte, Juliette Binoche, Bob Hoskins
Directed By: Bruno Podalydès, Gurinder Chadha, Gus Van Sant, Joel Coen
#21
Adjusted Score: 87817%
Critics Consensus: Naturalistic but evocative, Last Tango in Paris is a vivid exploration of pain, love, and sex featuring a typically towering Marlon Brando performance.
Synopsis: Distraught following his wife’s suicide, American hotelier Paul (Marlon Brando) becomes transfixed by the beautiful younger Frenchwoman Jeanne (Maria Schneider)… [More]
Starring: Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Darling Legitimus
Directed By: Bernardo Bertolucci
#22
Adjusted Score: 83392%
Critics Consensus: A nonstop thrill ride, District B13‘s dizzying action sequences more than make up for any expository flaws.
Synopsis: In 21st-century Paris, a member (Cyril Raffaelli) of an elite police squad must enter a crime-ridden ghetto to defuse a… [More]
Starring: Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Tony D’Amario, Bibi Naceri
Directed By: Pierre Morel
#23
Adjusted Score: 84885%
Critics Consensus: Woody Allen’s 50th film, Coup de Chance adds yet another creative rebound to the writer-director’s oeuvre with a charming thriller that makes up in wit what it lacks in surprises.
Synopsis: COUP DE CHANCE is about the important role chance and luck play in our lives. Fanny (Lou de Laâge) and… [More]
Starring: Lou de Laâge, Melvil Poupaud, Niels Schneider, Valérie Lemercier
Directed By: Woody Allen
#24
Adjusted Score: 86066%
Critics Consensus: Boosted by Meryl Streep’s charismatic performance as Julia Child, Julie and Julia is a light, but fairly entertaining culinary comedy.
Synopsis: Frustrated with a soul-killing job, New Yorker Julie Powell (Amy Adams) embarks on a daring project: she vows to prepare… [More]
Starring: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina
Directed By: Nora Ephron
#25
Adjusted Score: 80690%
Critics Consensus: It handles its potentially prickly subject matter with kid gloves, but Intouchables gets by thanks to its strong cast and some remarkably sensitive direction.
Synopsis: An unlikely friendship develops between a wealthy quadriplegic (François Cluzet) and his caretaker (Omar Sy), just released from prison…. [More]
Starring: François Cluzet, Omar Sy, Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot
Directed By: Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache
#26
Adjusted Score: 84760%
Critics Consensus: A love-it-or-hate-it experience, Moulin Rouge is all style, all giddy, over-the-top spectacle. But it’s also daring in its vision and wildly original.
Synopsis: A celebration of love and creative inspiration takes place in the infamous, gaudy and glamorous Parisian nightclub, at the cusp… [More]
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent
Directed By: Baz Luhrmann
#27
Adjusted Score: 79589%
Critics Consensus: Pivoting on the unusual relationship between seasoned hitman and his 12-year-old apprentice — a breakout turn by young Natalie Portman — Luc Besson’s Léon is a stylish and oddly affecting thriller.
Synopsis: Mathilda (Natalie Portman) is only 12 years old, but is already familiar with the dark side of life: her abusive… [More]
Starring: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello
Directed By: Luc Besson
#28
Adjusted Score: 79806%
Critics Consensus: The set design and cinematography are impressive, but the real achievement of La Vie en Rose is Marion Cotillard’s mesmerizing, wholly convincing performance as Edith Piaf.
Synopsis: Born into poverty and raised in a brothel, Édith Piaf (Marion Cotillard) manages to achieve worldwide fame. Though her extraordinary… [More]
Starring: Marion Cotillard, Clotilde Courau, Jean-Paul Rouve, Sylvie Testud
Directed By: Olivier Dahan
#29
Adjusted Score: 103995%
Critics Consensus:Le Samouraï makes the most of its spare aesthetic, using stylish — and influential — direction, solid performances, and thick atmosphere to weave an absorbing story.
Synopsis: Hit man Jef Costello (Alain Delon) goes through an elaborate set of rituals before carrying out a hit on a… [More]
Starring: Alain Delon, Nathalie Delon, François Perier, Cathy Rosier
Directed By: Jean-Pierre Melville
#30
Adjusted Score: 85865%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A hopeless romantic finds his life in danger when he falls in love with a beautiful mermaid…. [More]
Starring: Nicolas Duvauchelle, Marilyn Lima, Rossy de Palma, Romane Bohringer
Directed By: Mathias Malzieu
#31
Adjusted Score: 100552%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Charles Bonnet (Hugh Griffith) expresses his passion for art by forging masterpieces — and selling them at a hefty profit…. [More]
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Peter O’Toole, Eli Wallach, Charles Boyer
Directed By: William Wyler
#32
Adjusted Score: 99229%
Critics Consensus:The Red Balloon invests the simplest of narratives with spectacular visual inventiveness, making for a singularly wondrous portrait of innocence.
Synopsis: A red balloon with a life of its own follows a boy around Paris…. [More]
Starring: Pascal Lamorisse, Vladimir Popov, Paul Perey, Renée Marion
Directed By: Albert Lamorisse
#33
Adjusted Score: 98313%
Critics Consensus: Jacques Tati’s most accessible film is a paean to gentle values and observing the small details of life.
Synopsis: Genial, bumbling Monsieur Hulot (Jacques Tati) loves his top-floor apartment in a grimy corner of the city, and cannot fathom… [More]
Starring: Jacques Tati, Jean-Pierre Zola, Alain Bécourt, Lucien Fregis
Directed By: Jacques Tati
#34
Adjusted Score: 85459%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: French private investigator Claude Chavasse (Maurice Chevalier) discovers his client’s wife has been having an affair with an American playboy,… [More]
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Gary Cooper, Maurice Chevalier, Van Doude
Directed By: Billy Wilder
#35
Adjusted Score: 77851%
Critics Consensus: Though it occasionally stumbles into sitcom territory, Something’s Gotta Give is mostly a smart, funny romantic comedy, with sharp performances from Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, and Keanu Reeves.
Synopsis: When aging womanizer Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson) and his young girlfriend, Marin (Amanda Peet), arrive at her family’s beach house… [More]
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Frances McDormand
Directed By: Nancy Meyers
#36
Adjusted Score: 82251%
Critics Consensus: Impeccably mounted but occasionally bombastic, Les Misérables largely succeeds thanks to bravura performances from its distinguished cast.
Synopsis: After 19 years as a prisoner, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is freed by Javert (Russell Crowe), the officer in charge… [More]
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried
Directed By: Tom Hooper
#37
Adjusted Score: 76557%
Critics Consensus: Lovely and diffuse, Sleep isn’t as immediately absorbing as Gondry’s previous work, but its messy beauty is its own reward.
Synopsis: Soon after the death of his father, a distraught young man (Gael García Bernal) begins a job as a graphic… [More]
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alain Chabat, Miou-Miou
Directed By: Michel Gondry
#38
Adjusted Score: 74111%
Critics Consensus:Ronin earns comparisons to The French Connection with strong action, dynamic road chase scenes, and solid performances.
Synopsis: Deirdre (Natascha McElhone) puts together a team of experts that she tasks with stealing a valuable briefcase, the contents of… [More]
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård
Directed By: John Frankenheimer
#39
Adjusted Score: 74980%
Critics Consensus: The smartly written French Exit offers proof that even the most caustic characters can be made entertaining — and even relatable — through a Michelle Pfeiffer performance.
Synopsis: A widowed New York socialite and her aimless son move to Paris after she spends the last of her husband’s… [More]
Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges, Tracy Letts, Valerie Mahaffey
Directed By: Azazel Jacobs
#40
Adjusted Score: 67968%
Critics Consensus: Though it doesn’t quite capture the complexity of its subject’s life, Coco Avant Chanel remains a fascinating, appropriately lovely tribute.
Synopsis: Young Coco Chanel (Audrey Tautou) works as a seamstress by day and a cabaret entertainer by night, then she meets… [More]
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Benoît Poelvoorde, Alessandro Nivola, Marie Gillain
Directed By: Anne Fontaine
#41
Adjusted Score: 65493%
Critics Consensus: Though lushly atmospheric, The Dreamers doesn’t engage or provoke as much as it should.
Synopsis: In May 1968, the student riots in Paris only exacerbate the isolation felt by three youths: an American exchange student… [More]
Starring: Michael Pitt, Eva Green, Louis Garrel, Robin Renucci
Directed By: Bernardo Bertolucci
#42
Adjusted Score: 65984%
Critics Consensus: Lavish imagery and a daring soundtrack set this film apart from most period dramas; in fact, style completely takes precedence over plot and character development in Coppola’s vision of the doomed queen.
Synopsis: An Austrian teenager (Kirsten Dunst) marries the Dauphin (Jason Schwartzman) of France and becomes that country’s queen following the death… [More]
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Judy Davis, Rip Torn
Directed By: Sofia Coppola
#43
Adjusted Score: 55371%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Hotshot Hollywood screenwriter Richard Benson (William Holden) is in trouble. He sold a script idea to decadent producer Alexander Meyerheim… [More]
Starring: William Holden, Audrey Hepburn, Noël Coward, Gregoire Aslan
Directed By: Richard Quine
#44
Adjusted Score: 40577%
Critics Consensus: A mixed bag of uneven tones that feels flat.
Synopsis: While visiting her sister (Naomi Watts) in Paris, a young woman (Kate Hudson) finds romance and learns her brother-in-law is… [More]
Starring: Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts, Jean-Marc Barr, Leslie Caron
Directed By: James Ivory
#45
Adjusted Score: 38399%
Critics Consensus: The music of the night has hit something of a sour note: Critics are calling the screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s popular musical histrionic, boring, and lacking in both romance and danger. Still, some have praised the film for its sheer spectacle.
Synopsis: From his hideout beneath a 19th century Paris opera house, the brooding Phantom (Gerard Butler) schemes to get closer to… [More]
Starring: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson
Directed By: Joel Schumacher
#46
Adjusted Score: 34579%
Critics Consensus: What makes Dan Brown’s novel a best seller is evidently not present in this dull and bloated movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code.
Synopsis: A murder in Paris’ Louvre Museum and cryptic clues in some of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings lead to… [More]
Starring: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina
Directed By: Ron Howard
#47
Adjusted Score: 26549%
Critics Consensus: Though Steve Martin is game, the particulars of the Inspector Clouseau character elude him in this middling update.
Synopsis: When the coach of a French soccer team is killed, his ring featuring the legendary Pink Panther diamond goes missing…. [More]
Starring: Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Beyoncé, Jean Reno
Directed By: Shawn Levy
#48
Adjusted Score: 23028%
Critics Consensus:Rush Hour 3 is a tired rehash of the earlier films, and a change of scenery can’t hide a lack of new ideas.
Synopsis: East meets West again when the assassination of Ambassador Han leads to the reunion of Lee (Jackie Chan) and Carter… [More]
Starring: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Hiroyuki Sanada, Yûki Kudô
Directed By: Brett Ratner
#49
Adjusted Score: -1%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Eager to see Paris but tired of their chaperon, identical twins (Ashley Olsen, Mary-Kate Olsen) tour France with two French… [More]
Starring: Ashley Olsen, Mary-Kate Olsen, Peter White, Matt Winston
Directed By: Alan Metter
#50
Adjusted Score: -1%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Longing for a baby, a stripper (Anna Karina) pursues another man (Jean-Paul Belmondo) in order to make her boyfriend (Jean-Claude… [More]
Starring: Anna Karina, Jean-Claude Brialy, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Catherine Demongeot
Directed By: Jean-Luc Godard
