Jessica Paré Movies
With a personal story that eerily parallels her first major role as a small-town girl thrust from obscurity into the haute couture world of supermodel divas and the media elite in the media satire Stardom (2000), Jessica Pare remains in the friendly, small-town mindset despite her good fortune of having stumbled into that role on a lark.Born in Montreal, Canada, in 1982, into a close-knit family not at all involved in the showbiz world, Pare decided to pursue an acting career after dropping out of the fine arts program at Montreal College. Gaining early acting experience with small roles in the made-for-television mafia drama Bonanno: A Godfather's Story and following with En Vacances (both 1999), Pare's breakthrough role came as she auditioned for a small role in Stardom and ended up being cast in the film's leading role based on her inherent innocence and beauty. Though the film closed that year's Cannes Film Festival to mixed reviews, Pare gained good notices and was subsequently cast opposite Piper Perabo in the poetic tale of sexual awakening, Lost and Delirious (2001). Laughingly shrugging off her recent status as one of the 25 most beautiful people in Canada, Pare prioritized her family life and commented boldly on her refusal to jeopardize her close relationships in favor of a career in film. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Katie Tallo's drama Posers concerns a group of teenage girls who, after a hard night of partying, have to figure out what happened to their leader. A night of drinking and drugging comes to a head when someone not in their group dies, but when the leader of the group goes missing the others grow more paranoid abut what might happen to them. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2002
A young Irish servant girl travels to Newfoundland in an attempt to build a new life for herself and her infant daughter in director John. M. Smith's Gemini Award-winning miniseries. Mary Keane (Aoife McMahon) is a humble servant who has been raped and abused her entire life, but she's determined that her young daughter will not suffer the same grim fate. Now, after departing from their native Ireland, Mary and her daughter wind up at an isolated fishing station run by benevolent soul Thomas Hutchings (Colm Meany). But sickness and starvation run rampant in this harsh environment. Perhaps if all of the fugitives and lost souls who have wound up in this unforgiving no man's land can band together and make it through the hard times, there will finally be hope for the future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colm Meaney, Aoife McMahon, (more)
- 2002
Filmed in France, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Morocco, and Canada, this ambitious biographical TV miniseries chronicles the life and times of the "Little Corporal" from Corsica who managed to conquer nearly all of Europe within a period of a dozen years. The narrative begins in the mid-1790s, as Napoleon Bonaparte (played, curiously enough, by comic actor Christian Clavier) makes his mark on posterity with spectacular victories in Austria and Egypt. On the home front, Napoleon woos and wins the lovely (and considerably older) Josephine (Isabella Rossellini), but finds time for extracurricular romances with other women, notably Countess Marie Walewska (Alexandra Maria Lara). Ultimately, Bonaparte's ambitions destroy him, first in Russia, then at Waterloo, consigning the general-cum-emperor to live out his life in humiliation and exile. When originally broadcast in France in October 2002, Napoleon ran six hours (plus commercials), with four episodes. For its American presentation on the A&E cable network beginning April 8, 2003, the production was literally sliced in half, shown in two installments with a running time of three hours. What remained was all highlights and few insights, though a few brilliant moments remained, many of these supplied by the supporting cast, which included Gérard Depardieu (who also produced) as Fouche, and John Malkovich as Talleyrand. Thankfully, the full six-hour version was made available in the U.S. on DVD and VHS in 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Clavier, Isabella Rossellini, (more)
- 2001
Three families trace their fortunes, for good and ill, over the course of ten summers in this drama from French filmmaker Yves Hanchar. The Bertini, Delperee, and Foucher families first meet by the seaside in 1990, and as the various members become fast friends, they find themselves vacationing together each summer over the next decade. Daniel Delperee (Jeremy Lippmann) finds himself falling in love with Carole (Jessica Pare), a friend of one of the Foucher girls, and over the next several summers he has to come to terms with his feelings for her. He must also face new responsibilities, as his mother Marianne (Catherine Hosmalin), who had been unhappy since parting with her husband Paul (Luc Picard), dies in an auto accident. Daniel then is unsure how to react after Paul becomes involved with a much younger woman, Maddelena (Floriane Devigne). En Vacances received its North American premiere at the 2001 Santa Barbara Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luc Picard, Luigi Diberti, (more)
French Canadian director Denys Arcand pushes the boundaries of the mockumentary with Stardom, the tale of a fictional neophyte supermodel (Jessica Pare) told entirely through clips of her appearances on talk shows, television interviews, and documentaries. Originally titled 15 Moments, Stardom begins its portrait at a women's hockey game in the nether regions of Ontario, Canada. When the team's formidable teenage forward Tina (Pare) pulls her helmet off, letting her brunette tresses fly, a bystander snaps a photo, and Tina soon becomes the buzz at the country's hottest fashion houses. Her rise through the industry, however, is plagued by advances from older men with sundry motives: a smitten French photographer (Charles Berling), a smarmy entrepreneur (Dan Aykroyd), the Canadian Ambassador to the U.N. (Frank Langella), and a slick promoter (Thomas Gibson, the latter half of TV's Dharma and Greg). Stardom was the closing film at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, marking the first time in over 50 years that a Canadian production was chosen for such an honor; it would go on to open the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival before its theatrical premiere. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessica Paré, Dan Aykroyd, (more)
- 1999
This made-for-TV drama is based on the autobiography of one of the most notorious figures in American organized crime, Joseph Bonanno. Bonanno (played by Bruce Ramsay) left Sicily as a young man, eager to escape the tyranny of Benito Mussolini, but when he arrived in America, fate led him to a career on the wrong side of the law with the Castellamarese crime family. After his mentor was killed in a bloody feud with cadres of the Gambino family, Bonanno became the youngest man to lead a major crime syndicate in America. Bonanno's battles with Lucky Luciano (Vince Corazza) and his secret dealings with Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Matt Norklun) helped cement Bonanno's reputation as one of the most powerful criminals in the world. It didn't take long, however, for the gangster kingpin to discover that power breeds treachery, and as the years passed, Bonanno (now played by Tony Nardi) learned that both the FBI and some of his most loyal allies were working to put him out of business. Martin Landau plays the elderly Bonanno, who tells much of his life story in flashback as he visits his hometown in Sicily for the first time in many years. The supporting cast includes Robert Loggia, Costas Mandylor, Patti LuPone, and Edward James Olmos. Bonanno: A Godfather's Story was originally produced as a two-part miniseries for the Showtime premium cable network, but was later edited down to 139 minutes for release on home video. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Landau, Costas Mandylor, (more)
The show business comedy See This Movie stars Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers as Jake Barrymore, a wannabe director who pretends he has a finished film in order to network at the Montreal Film Festival. His loyal girlfriend and a couple of faithful associates help him maintain the charade for as long as possible. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seth Meyers, John Cho, (more)
Three schoolgirls learn about the joys, sorrows, and varieties of love in this drama based on the novel The Wives of Bath by Susan Swan. Mary (Mischa Barton) is a quiet girl who is still recovering from the death of her mother. Mary's father and new stepmother, who are blind to her emotional needs, send her away to an all-girls college, where Mary becomes fast friends with her new roommates, sophisticated Paulie (Piper Perabo) and worldly Tory (Jessica Pare). But Mary soon discovers that Paulie and Tory are more than just friends, and have begun to pursue a passionate physical relationship. While initially puzzled by their lesbian leanings, Mary remains close friends with both of them; Tory's sister is not so open minded, however, and threatens to tell their parents about Tory's affair. Afraid and confused, Tory quickly breaks off her romance with Paulie and takes up with Jake (Luke Kirby), a student at a nearby boys' school. Paulie is heartbroken, and desperately struggles to win Tory back by writing her epic-length poems on the subject of love and loss. Paulie also finds a metaphor for her wounded heart as she finds an injured bird in the woods and struggles to restore it to health; in addition, she discovers an understanding soul in the person of Fay Vaughn (Jackie Burroughs), one of her teachers. Lost and Delirious was the first English-language feature for Québecois filmmaker Lea Pool; the film received its world premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Piper Perabo, Jessica Paré, (more)
A young boy's innocence is shattered when his mother enters into an elicit affair with a mysterious blue-eyed stranger in a two-part, four hour miniseries directed by Jerry Ciccoritti and starring Academy Award-winner Sophia Loren. Vittorio Innocente is a typical young boy from the tiny Italian village of Valle del Sole. When Vittorio's youthful innocence is shattered by his mother's enigmatic boyfriend, the youngster is compelled to shed light on the mystery of his mother's past by piecing together her remarkable story one chapter at a time. As he does so, Vittorio gradually learns of the centuries-old superstitions that continue to influence the actions of the naïve villagers, and gains greater insight than ever into the true nature of humanity. Though the hypocrisy, fears, and maliciousness he discovers in the centuries-old village soon leads Vittorio to discover the truth about his mother, those very same discoveries also threaten to unravel the very foundation of his safely sheltered world. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sophia Loren, Sabrina Ferilli, (more)
Directed by Paul McGuigan, Wicker Park follows Chicago businessman Matthew's (Josh Hartnett) return to Windy City life after having dedicated two years of his life to mourning his long lost love Lisa (Diane Kruger), who'd mysteriously vanished from his life. Things are finally looking up again for Matthew; his career is in full swing, and he's thinking of becoming engaged -- that is, until he thinks he's spotted his former lover in a restaurant. Almost immediately, Matthew puts the brakes on his marriage plans and his career in order to conduct an exhaustive search for his old flame. Obsessed, he barely notices the psychologically devastating trap his quest is leading him into -- a danger that only grows when he meets an enigmatic stranger (Rose Byrne). Wicker Park features Matthew Lillard and Jessica Paré in supporting roles. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Hartnett, Matthew Lillard, (more)
After making a string of social commentaries, Canadian director Deepa Mehta satirizes India's beloved genre in the lighthearted romantic musical Bollywood/Hollywood. Indo-Canadian millionaire Rahul (Rahul Khanna) goes against the wishes of his mother and grandmother to date the Caucasian pop star Kimberly (Jessica Paré); however, she gets killed in an accident and he is left devastated. His mother (Moushumi Chatterjee) seizes the opportunity and announces that he must get engaged to an Indian girl before his sister is allowed to wed. This is complicated by the fact that his sister is already engaged and pregnant. Under pressure, Rahul enlists the help of Sue (supermodel Lisa Ray), a professional escort who agrees to play the part of his Indian fiancée. He thinks she is really Hispanic, and she claims to have no love for traditional Indian men. Throughout his sister's wedding preparations, Sue begins to befriend his entire family, including the tough old grandmother (Dina Pathak). After some random bursts into songs and dances, Sue reveals her true identity and they fall in love. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rahul Khanna, Lisa Ray, (more)
