Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Savoring Paris’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Bethany Joy Lenz as Ella Weber in ‘Savoring Paris’. (Photo Courtesy of Eric Caro/Hallmark.) ©2024 Hallmark.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Savoring Paris’.
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One particular type of motion picture that takes a great deal of critical flak in this day and age, is the ‘starting over’ film. The one where someone who is unhappy with their life, packs up their bags and moves someplace else to find themselves and uncover what they really want out of life. And what allows for these films to take heat is the sheer fact that they are so fluffy in nature and feature no consequences for the actions that the characters perform. Because in reality, just hitting the rest button on our lives and moving say… cross country… isn’t some simple task, as these stories portray. In fact, a lot goes into this.

Since we need money to sustain ourselves, we need a place to live, and we need to find out what we really need and want in life to find peace, or we do this all again. And audiences want those types of deeper explorations to take place and want to learn more about the process… because sometimes we feel a need to just blow up our lives and start over and a guide would help. But alas, audiences just aren’t getting that guide from these types of films, and they really are done with the puff and fluff they often offer. But thankfully, the networks and studios are starting to hear that feedback and they are slowly making changes to this type of feature so that it does have more meaning for audiences and for proof… then look no further than the fascinating ‘reset button’ film that hit the airwaves on Hallmark Channel last night.

For Savoring Paris just so happens to serve as the anthesis to what a lot of these films offer, by offering a more detailed and realistic look at this decision. But of course, at first glance, that doesn’t seem to be the case. For we are introduced to a woman named Ella Weber in this film, who finds herself at a crossroads. Because her career isn’t giving her what she needs, creatively or from a fulfillment standpoint and outside of work, she doesn’t feel the call to settle down in a traditional manner. All of which, overwhelms her to no end and prompts her to fly back to the one place that offered her joy ages ago, Paris, to clear her head. But after a short while, she decides that she should stay for as long as possible and enjoy all that Paris has to offer, including cheese, while she finds herself and her direction, and potentially… love along the way.

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Bethany Joy Lenz and Stanley Weber as Ella Weber and Serge Pelerin in ‘Savoring Paris’. (Photo Courtesy of Elena Nenkova/Hallmark.) ©2024 Hallmark.

All of which really does seem like a by the numbers reset story. Since Ella does all the things that one comes to expect in this type of story. After all, she dips into her savings to stay in Paris and enjoy its comforts and its freedom, and of course, there is a love affair present here where two men vie for her attention and her heart. But all of that exists to make the viewer comfortable, as though they are indeed just settling in for more of the same and once that comfort is present, does this story shift gears and offer up different concepts. For instance, the decision to just quit her job is revealed to be more than impulse and foolish and reckless abandon to be a ‘free spirit’. It’s about finding freedom for Ella, about having control and a say in her life’s events and that is a concept that is rarely explored in these films.
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The same goes… for the fact that this story focuses heavily on Ella taking time for herself, to really reflect upon her life and how she got to this point, so she doesn’t make similar mistakes going forward. Which brings about gentle moments of inflection and even moments of powerful self-discovery. Wherein Ella begins to uncover the truth she seeks about herself, and she is even honest about what she wants in her love life, to the point where she sets boundaries and offers respect and isn’t some foolish, love-lorn woman that will only find peace through matters of the heart. That part of the journey is about finding someone to compliment her over making her complete, because… she wants to feel as though she can be more and is on a path that is fulfilling and nurturing for her soul and that is just wonderful to see present in this type of story.

Not to mention, the movie acknowledges the risks of going this route financially and how it might be best to have something to fall upon before we go this route and that makes, for one refreshing story. One that engages and teaches, courtesy of those magnificent plot points and some fine acting as well. With Bethany Joy Lenz leading the charge as Ella, since she portrays Ella with an honesty and a vulnerability that we can relate to through and through and well, all of these elements make this story, essential viewing. Simply because this really is that rare ‘reset your life’ story that is grounded in realism over fantasy, since it correctly and wonderfully points out… that starting over in life is more than just packing our bags and taking a chance on life and love. It requires dedication, self-care and self-work and an understanding that we need to make peace with ourselves, in order find peace in our lives.

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