'Paris Can Wait' is a pleasant treat

Eleanor Coppola is 81 years old this year and for 54 of those years she has been married to Francis Ford Coppola. Together they've had three children, one of whom died at 22.

Throughout her famous husband and increasingly famous daughter's film careers, Coppola has involved herself in behind-the-scenes documenting of projects like Apocalypse Now and Sophia's Marie Antoinette.

Last year she stepped behind the camera to direct her own feature film, Paris Can Wait, a slight, whimsical celebration of the good things enjoyed by wealthy Americans who spend their lives travelling but also have to deal with the emotional difficulties of sustaining relationships.

Anne (Diane Lane) is a one-time dressmaker, current photography enthusiast married to globetrotting film producer hotshot Michael (Alec Baldwin), who though he has obvious affection for his wife is always needed on a phone call from some exotic location where yet another director is screwing up yet another movie.

When we first meet her she and Michael are supposed to be leaving Cannes for a trip to Paris but when Michael is called on business to Budapest, Anne accepts the offer of a drive to Paris with Michael's business partner, Jacques, an unhurried lover of classic cars, cigarettes and fine dining.

The old question of whether you'd let a Frenchman spend time alone with your wife is the central conceit of most of the road trip that follows. Jacques stops at every restaurant, needs plenty of smoke breaks, drives badly and is slightly too flirtatious for Anne's liking but gradually she succumbs to his charms and the new question becomes: Will they or won't they?

Along the way we're treated to plenty of picturesque French countryside, Jacques' homilies on enjoying life and several expensive-looking meals.

WATCH the trailer for Paris Can Wait

Coppola handles her two main actors well, allowing them to gradually ease into each other's company, and Lane has a natural affability that shows why she's the preferred American actress for films about middle-aged women finding themselves in Europe during the summer.

It all goes by without dragging too much and, while it's pleasant enough, it's not going to throw a spanner in the works of romantic dramedy. While there are moments of empathy, the film never pushes hard enough against the requirements of its genre to leave a lasting impression.

It's full of fine wines, gourmet food and French plating but it's very much a satisfying light meal rather than a life-altering feast.

That said, kudos to the materfamilias for taking her turn to step out of the shadows and show that she's not just a homemaker and caregiver but also an artist in her own right.

WHAT OTHERS SAY

• This dramedy has a languorous charm likely to remind viewers that the road less travelled (both literally and metaphorically) may be the tonic you need in a work-focused, social-media-laden world. - S Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
• Sheer agony to be trapped with two insufferable characters as they sample gorgeously photographed food and wine that we can't taste. - Peter Debruge, Variety

• This article was originally published in The Times.