Darren Star (Sex and the City, Melrose Place, Younger) is no stranger to writing hit TV Shows from the female perspective. Darren’s new Netflix series, Emily in Paris , is like Devil Wears Prada meets Sex and the City. It follows newly single American transplant, Emily, played by Lily Collins. Emily finds herself navigating cultural landmines in the office as well as crazy entanglements in her personal life. As NYC was the glamourous fourth character in SATC, so is Paris in Emily in Paris. Since the show was released nearly three weeks ago on Netflix, many folks have been criticizing Darren for his portrayal of Paris as too glamorous and cliche. He spoke to the The Hollywood Reporter to say s
On writing female characters as a middle-aged man
I enjoy writing female characters. I find it easy to see the world from their point of view; I find them very verbally expressive; they’re vulnerable; they have challenges — they may not be mine, but I can relate to them.If he would change SATC if he wrote it now
I May Destroy You is the Sex and the City for now. Girls was the Sex and the City for its moment. I wouldn’t be doing Sex and the City today. Twenty years ago, I knew those people that I was writing about. I understood the time and I understood the characters and also what needed to be said.On criticism of Emily in Paris in the French media
The show is a love letter to Paris through the eyes of this American girl who has never been there. The first thing she is seeing is the clichés because it’s from her point of view. I’m not sorry for looking at Paris through a glamorous lens. It’s a beautiful city, and I wanted to do a show that celebrated that part of Paris.
I couldn’t wait to watch Emily In Paris. Some of the situations Emily ended up in were cringeworthy. And though the portrayal of the French was cliched, Emily in Paris is the glamorous escape we all need right now. I’ve been to Paris and I feel it is an overrated city, but I love watching about it on TV or in movies. Paris is grimy like NYC but both cities have a unique mystique about them.
I also liked how Darren was able to turn the Parisian male stereotype of being romantic, passionate, and smooth talking lovers on its head. In one scene, a French guy ruins a romantic moment with Emily by telling her he “loves American p**sy.” I screamed with laughter at that. I won’t bore you all with my Parisian encounters while visiting Paris. I will say however, Parisian men are a hot mess.
I think Darren has found the magical formula again with Emily in Paris. It felt like a modern version of SATC, like what would have happened if Carrie Bradshaw ended up in Paris instead of New York. The over-the-top portrayal of Paris and Parisians is fun.
With that being said, the eye candy on the show alone are worth giving up some free time for. And the tough boss is one of the best characters. If you are a lover of travel, fashion and sappy romance and you need a bit of inspiration from being grounded all year, Emily in Paris is definitely a fun, albeit awkward and cliched escape.
Photos credit: Carole Bethuel/Netflix and Getty
This series is a non-stop cringe.
It’s a hate watch. non-stop cringe but gd I did watch every single episode as fast as I could!
I watched it in one weekend! It was a great hate-watch and escape from reality
I watched it in one day, as well. It was so bad, but also, like, not that bad? I loved her friend, the blonde girl, camille? I think. The chef guy WAS cute and a little charming. Her co-workers were funny, for the most part. The scenery was beautiful. Emily was very annoying with the floor numbering thing, and the “whatever” attitude about not knowing french. She had a perfect excuse for not knowing it–she was a last minute replacement! She grated, for sure
Hate watch, yeperz. They DID have an older Sexy non obv plastic surgery Boss-was she the Samantha to Emily’s Charlotte/Carrie??
I hate watched with my French husband after he’d seen lots of memes mocking it. It was annoyingly watchable! We couldn’t help ourselves and burned through several episodes. Along with all the French/Parisian stereotypes it maybe unwittingly played into the ‘Ugly American’ stereotype that the French have too. I guess she was supposed to be cute but the Emily character was infuriating! She wouldn’t even pronounce the name of her company correctly. And walking into her new office not even attempting to speak French! So arrogant & rude. I get that it’s a fantasy, escapist fluff but even so, it drove me nuts. And I’m saying this as someone who’s french is extremely shoddy & all my in-laws speak to me in english lol
The show looks like something Carrie Bradshaw would write.
It is and I couldn’t look away. My one problem was that Paris is more diverse than the show portrayed
AMEN! Paris isn’t so white as it is portrayed, not close.
It’s super cringe-worthy, there’s no traffic, no one seems to know about public transport, French people speak to one another in English even if Emily isn’t around (no Parisian would do that. Montrealers? Hell yes, but not French), in my opinion, it lacked glamour and Emily is so incredibly basic and would never in a thousand years get that position at such a young age, but I still couldn’t stop (hate-)watching it.
But Call My Agent is a far better watch if people want to binge on a semi-glamorous French show
Arpeggi – except yes Paris proper is that white. The only people of color you’ll find in anything that isn’t the 12, 19, 20, 18 is security guards in shops, taxi drivers and grocery workers. Little India in the 10th near Gare du Nord and Chateau d’ Eau haven’t been gentrified yet. I actually wrote about the series on my blog because I loved tearing it apart. The black character in the office? Never would happen. Black people don’t work in French corporate jobs. Paris is a very weird and very white place. I remember I saw a black family on my walk back from the grocery store in the 16th and I thought how bizarre. And then they opened their mouths and they were American. Bien sûr. Only American tourists would be allowed.
That said Emily’s Paris is that beautiful because Emily never leaves the area around the Pantheon.
And I would never say Paris is as grimy as NYC. It gets cleaned every day, trash pickup is nightly (in the posh districts). Unless you’re in a district that has two numbers (the exception being the 16th and parts of the 15th), then Paris is that pretty.
@Ashley WTF are you talking about?
I work in the 9th arrondissement and there are people of color.
And regarding Emily’s colleague how is it impossible she would have 1 black coworker? In my service of 12 people, 6 are POC.
My friends work in corporate as paralegal, lawyers, event manager, comunication officers, finance…
Sadly POC are overrepresentend in low paying jobs such as security, cleaning, couriers … But saying no black people work in corporate jobs is absurd.
What @Ashley said. I don’t live in Paris, but I’ve spent a lot of time there for work, and as far as I’ve seen, central Paris is extremely white. In the office where I spend the most time when I’m there, there is exactly one person of colour on the entire staff.
@Ashley, there are a few black and Arabic people in corporate jobs nowadays. Most of my friends and acquaintances in Paris are black in very good corporate jobs.
But yes, the divide between Paris “intra-muros” and the banlieue, the very segregated surburbs is shocking.
I’m French and not a fan of Paris for this reason.
Emily’s outfits are so 2000s. All the mis-matched separates are dated. Understated monochrome looks would have brought her style into this decade. It would have been nice to see some effortless French style instead of the whole try-hard fashionista vibe.
Yes, I HATED her outfits! The blonde French’s (I forgot her name) looks were so much better.
Her name is Camille. And, yes, Camille’s style was a BILLION times better!
Camille! I was thinking that her name might have been Charlotte. At least it also starts with a C ,lol. Thanks, Snuffles!
Isn’t that the “charm” of Emily? She’s an admitted “gossip girl” basic who pleads “not worthy” to French fashion avante garde? I like her tween fantasy dressing- it’s no sophisticated & she owns it?
Emily’s clothes are horrific but the French men are gorgeous so I’m still watching.
It looked like someone trying to emulate Cher’s style in Clueless. Those hats… Nope! Just no
I thought that was the point – like what this character thinks french people wear and she just looks . . . not good. And DEFINITELY shades of Clueless…
Exactly. The point is she’s out of touch, and she doesn’t “get it right.” Hence the crap fashion.
That’s the entire schtick of Patricia Fields.
That’s the whole point: Emily’s wardrobe is try-hard because she is a try-hard character. Her clothes are all a bit much (too colorful, too many prints, too many accessories) because Americans usually seem like a bit much in comparison with the French.
I never watched it and never will……thanks; Next!
The show was meh, but it was nice to visit Paris again during these hard times.
The worst part of the show for me was Emily (unknowingly) hooking up with a 17 year old. That was just YUCK. Do we really need such a story line in 2020?!
This storyline resonated with me because the exact same thing happened when I was 22 and in Paris.
We met at a pub, he said he was 21 and I had no reason to doubt him. When he confessed his age the next day, I couldn’t get away fast enough. Ugh, it gives me the icks to this day.
Apart from that, the show (for all its flaws) has been a much needed form of escapism in these crazy, confining, COVID times.
Oh no, I’m so sorry this happened to you!
I’ve watched part of the first episode- not loving it yet but will give it a chance.
I’ve traveled a bit but had never been to Paris and finally went for 8 days in 2017, and it was everything I wanted it to be.
The architecture was breathtaking and the Musee de Orsay blew my mind.
I don’t get why people have to take this show so seriously. Of course it’s not realistic! It’s a tv show, not a documentary. I don’t want to watch real struggles of life right now, I’m living them. Let people enjoy silly things.
This! It’s meant to be escapist fluff for a horrible time. I really don’t understand all the stupid think pieces.
Exactly! This was just the kind of cheesy, mindless content I needed. Everyone needs to sit down.
Totally. It’s not like it’s taking itself seriously. It’s just fun escapist rom-com fluff, more akin to Gossip Girl than Girls. No idea why it’s elicited such strong reactions. All I can think is people are bored and looking for drama in quarantine.
I liked it, it was pretty people in a beautiful city. It brought back memories of when I visited Paris. Perfect antidote to the pandemic.
This is how I felt too.
I’ve struggled watching anything deep or heavy this year and although the lead character/actress annoyed me greatly the rest of it was a beautiful, glossy distraction from a really grim year.
It’s mindless, pretty, fluff. And based on that, I loved it. I have to expectation that it’s a real look at the people, culture, or business of Paris.
Yeah, I haven’t watched it yet, but it doesn’t sound like a show that’s supposed to be rooted in gritty realism. It’s fluff. Most shows and movies romanticize the city they are set in, especially beautiful places like Paris. It’s weird that there’s criticism for this one show, for something almost every show does.
Well, for one, plenty of shows get criticized for that, isn’t one of the main points of this article that NYC was equally glamorized by Sex in the big city? Friends were also taken to task for making NYC white and affordable. So, it’s not this one show.
Furthermore, that’s precisely part of the criticism – too many shows do it. Maybe enough is enough? Nobody is saying she should have slammed it with the homeless, but tone down the stereotypes, seek out fresh perspectives, don’t just rehash the same 10 cliches that have been done in Paris to death, how is that not a valid criticism for a seasoned show writer/maker?
It was such a delightful chilly weekend binge watch.
Much like SATC, Emily is not likeable and that’s ok.
Unfortunately people aren’t allowed to just enjoy things for what they are anymore, flaws and all. You need qualifiers like “I know some of the writing was bad, but…” WHO CARES. If you liked it you liked it! I’m so over the think pieces and being hyper critical of every piece of media.
I did a short study abroad in London back in 09′, and best friend and I took a day trip to Paris. The whole experience was phenomenal, but yes, I too felt like Paris was overrated. The architecture was beautiful, but my lord, the trash and graffiti were ridiculous.
I also distinctly remember a random older (40’s/50’s?) man stopping my friend as we were walking toward the Louvre, grabbing her hand and caressing it while saying something in French. Most of us have been approached and hit on, but he was SO old (to us, at the time) and it all seemed like such an invasion of space. She yanked her hand away and we fast walked our way down the road. I’m not saying every interaction was so blatantly cliche and French, but we weren’t impressed that day.
I have to admit I was quite disappointed by Paris when I went for my honeymoon. I had this romantic notion of a city of lights and love, and I found it…well dirty and bland. Even Disneyland Paris (not actually in Paris) was dirty and staffed by rude people. After a week we took the train to London, where we instantly felt more comfortable and had a great week there.
While I loved Paris, I also prefer London. I went at Christmas and it was spectacular. I loved the museums, parks, history, theater, and literary tourism.
In Paris they say the Chinese Embassy has counselors on stand by because of the number of Chinese tourists who get to Paris and realize it’s a lie and try to kill themselves. Not sure how true it is but it’s something we hear all of the time in Paris. Paris is pretty. But it’s also just a city like everywhere else.
It’s Japanese tourists. It actually has an affliction name called “Paris Syndrome”
Glamourous?
As an Italian who lives in France, I watched for 10 minutes.
It seems a show written by someone who went to Paris in 1995 and had a bad experience, and worst of all it seems written by someone who doesn’t know anything about Paris and France.
And honestly the “I educate them about it” it’s the reason why Americans are hated.
I agree that they don’t shy away from the whole “American culture, when attempted to be spread abroad, doesn’t go down well hence people disliking Americans thing” is portrayed well here. But again that’s intentional. The writer acknowledges all these things happen and they’re not welcome. He does a good job of this.
I went to Paris a decade ago and loved it! It’s like any large city with dirty streets etc., what urban city isn’t like that? But the sights I was so excited to see were beautiful and I loved walking the streets, my airbnb was in a cute neighbourhood. The people were lovely, I was nice to them and they were nice back.
It was fun getting to see Paris in Emily and the men are beautiful but Emily was the worst. She had no desire to understand the culture and was terrible at her job, it was hard to get past those to things and enjoy her experiences in the show. The girl literally went to her boss and had no information about Camille’s family’s champagne company but was like yeah we should take them on as clients (who does that!). Since she was in Paris to work, it was hard to ignore her those things. I did love watching Sylvie put her in her place at times though lol
I’ve been to Paris 3 times and each time I extensively researched and came up with detailed itineraries. It also helped that I have an expat cousin who lives there.
The first time I was with my parents and did mostly touristy stuff and packaged tours. But our cousin, who lives in one of the wealthier neighborhoods took us around to her favorite places and then we went to a high end military officers club (my Dad is a retired military officer) in the embassy district. Went to Versailles which is just STUNNING. If you do go you must wander over to Marie Antoinette’s village, it’s like a fairy tale!
2nd time was also with my parents but we had a loser itinerary and gave myself freedom to just roam and explore a little alone. I even got lost but ended up wandering around a lovely park. Thank goodness for iPhone maps! I spent a day wandering around and filming Montmartre and just had a blast pretending I was Amelie and even went to the cafe she worked in. Every thing is “Instagramable”. I even witnessed a wedding photo shoot and saw a bride getting photographed in the streets in her wedding gown. And I kid you not, as I sat in front of a cafe there was a guy behind me playing the theme song to Amelie on his accordion! It was SUCH a vibe.
The 3rd time I went with my best friend and had a blast taking pastry classes and designing our own perfumes. Doing food tours. We even embraced the gritty part of Paris and went to Belleville and did a street art tour which we both LOVED. The guide had wonderful anecdotes and we saw some really interesting stuff. And we also went to the same Van Gogh exhibit that was featured in Emily in Paris. I’m pretty sure it’s closed now but was magnificent. A visual and auditory feast.
I would go back again. Each visit it became easier to navigate the metro and get around. My only beef was that everyone SMOKES! But by the 3rd time I wore an air purifier around my neck and that helped a lot. Next time I go, I’m going to save enough money to Uber more often because I’m getting old and my feet were killing me most days.
You can Uber pool! I had to do that at night because I arrived the same day the Metro went on strike LOL Striking is Paris’ national sport.
Snuffles no offense but you sound like an Emily. I lived across from the Amelie grocery store one year on Androuet and I hated all of those tourists and their cheesy wedding photos. Every musician in Montmartre plays the Amelie music because the tourists eat it up. It’s also why you hear La Vie en Rose everywhere. When I lived in Passy next to the Seine those tourists were worse. Every freaking day they were out there. Even in winter. They didn’t even marry in Paris, they’re just there to take photos in their wedding dress. It’s so ridiculous. Anyway you listed about a dozen cliches about Paris. Next time don’t plan an itinerary and just walk and see what happens.
Ashley,
I only had a week so planning was necessary. If I had 2 or 3 weeks like your average European (I’m American and most are lucky to get a week) I probably would have wandered more and been more spontaneous.
And I DON’T CARE if my Paris trip was full of “cliches”, I, my parents and friend had an enjoyable time. My friend literally bought a fresh baguette and croissant every day and thought it was the best thing ever. I felt like Amelie on my day in Montmartre and came away with a wonderful memory. I’m sure you think that is “cliche” as well. And, quite frankly, that was all I was looking for. I would never live there full time but it’s very fun to visit.
Snuffles I’m an American who saved up one year to visit for 3 months and ended up staying. I guess I wouldn’t understand because I’ve never been an Emily. Not even when I was a tourist.
Hello Ashley,
You know, it takes a very special kind of snobbish jerk to crap all over someone’s vacation memories because they aren’t “cool enough” for you. You sound like exactly the worst kind of hipster.
Definitely not an Emily; I’d peg you more as the snotty one who ends up alone at the end of the film after being absolute garbage towards all the other characters throughout the movie for no reason other than to build herself up. Get un-upyourself… I doubt you’re half as fascinating as you think and twice as unlikeable.
So Ashley has never been an Emily. But she’s clearly a Sylvie.
Snuffles, I’m from Paris and don’t worry about Ashley… I’m glad you enjoyed the holiday! Walking around and getting a bit lost is definitely the best way to enjoy the city. It’s nice that you take a slightly different approach for each visit, come back and see us soon! xx (And hell yes to every day croissants)
@snuffles: i had part of my honeymoon in Paris and i too ate croissants and baguettes everyday too!!! The architecture, the museums, the culture!!! Everything was beautiful (minus the racism, mind you, as some of the stuff i saw still makes me cringe).
Yeah, I was in Paris 2 weeks before Corona and that’s not the Paris I experienced. I’ve been lucky enough to visit a couple of times and the series was one cliche after the other and if that’s through the eyes of an american girl… well, that’s not a good look for them.
I think it’s fair to say the show is objectively terrible and yet…incredibly binge-able.
The only reason it works is actually two reasons: lily Collins makes Emily likable and Paris is gorgeous. Also her BFF is great.
If you want to watch a fantastic show about real Parisians and real Paris watch Call My Agent on Netflix in English subtitles
I think it’s one of the best shows on TV and has real heart, character development and is superbly scripted and acted but do watch at least the first 3 episodes to get in.
Sophie the boss in Emily- played by Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu- is also in that show along w a host of cameos by famous French actors. So brilliant!
I’m on a one woman mission to get the whole world into CMA!!
+1 for Call my agent! If you want a slice of the real Paris but still glamorous (all those stars guesting as over the top versions of their real selves), watch it 🙂
I love Call My Agent! It’s so funny.
I love Call My Agent! It’s a fantastic show. The characters are great. And it’s so funny. They say the French are incapable of making fun of themselves but that show proves them wrong. It’s such a great show.
My gripe would be that most of the street scenes are filmed around the 1st and Rivoli and while it’s not as over the top as Emily’s Pantheon neighborhood, it’s considered one of Paris’ beautiful streets for a reason.
It was a fun, silly little show. Not meant to be documentary. Imo, reality is the thing that’s overrated right now. I hope they do a season two.
Exactly. I went in only hoping for a little escape, relive my past Paris vacations, look at cute clothes and drool over hot guys with French accents (Gabriel is 😘😘😘). It served its purpose. 😜
Emily in Paris is such a silly, ridiculous, fun show. Her outfits were TERRIBLE hahaha, but I loved the outfits wore by the “mean” boss Sylvie (who was so much nicer than Miranda Priestly in Devil Wears Prada). As soon as I saw the trailer, I knew exactly what kind of show I’d be in for, especially after I realized Darren Star was the creator. Darren Star does not truly know Paris, therefore I knew it would be a show riddled with cliches, stereotypes, and through the lens of a white American dude. I think the thing I noticed the most was that Emily NEVER takes the metro, which is so unrealistic in a city as large as Paris. It’s possible her apartment was close to her office, but taking the metro in Paris is part of the experience. I can’t remember if you ever see her on any form of public transport ever, like the bus.
I have been to Paris many times, probably more times than anyone on this website and I’m not just saying that. I’ve been visiting France every year since I was a baby to visit my father’s family so I have a much more nuanced perspective on Paris than most people who have been there once or twice. It is a city like any other large international city, it has its pros and cons, and it can be magical or it can be terrible.
And the last detail that I thought was so hilarious was when Gabriel the chef considered moving and buying a restaurant in Normandy. And Emily was acting like Normandy was SO FAR and I dunno, the equivalent of moving to San Francisco and like she would never see him again. At one point Gabriel even says, “It’s just Normandy” and I don’t think Emily truly understood hahaha. I understand the average American who has never been to France probably doesn’t realize it but plenty of people in Normandy commute to Paris daily by train for their jobs lol. My father is from Normandy and there are trains that go to cities in Normandy in about an hour, maybe at most two hours. It’s not completely the middle of nowhere. Many wealthy Parisians have country houses in the region to escape to for the weekend. You can easily be in a long distance relationship with someone who lives in Normandy from Paris. But well you know the show isn’t Emily in Normandy (which to be honest, would be a much more interesting show!).
“I have been to Paris many times, probably more times than anyone on this website and I’m not just saying that. I’ve been visiting France every year” thanks for all the French people visiting CB and Paris-based Celebitches… Let’s not be UK and USA centric, the web is global.
Still agree with your points though 🙂
That made me chuckle as well as someone who studied there, lived there overall 12 years and goes back every month or so (pre-pandemic), had two children there and worked with museums and universities all over the country. I wonder if this was an email written by the “Emily” of “Emily in Paris”? LOL.
Just banter, no hate, but had to add this… Not every reader of Celebitchy is a white American LOL.
Hahaha +1 as a French who lived in Paris only 4 years, I wouldn’t pretend to know the city very well
American here who has lived in France for over a decade with a Parisian partner…. Daren Star did whitewash the city, but again, it is the city through the eyes of Emily. We cannot expect her to go to Patin (akin to Harlem) on her first day. That being said, I think some of the clichés are not clichés at all, they were a fairly accurate depiction of how people can be treated here.
I’ve lived in Paris since 2014. You could never live near the Pantheon where Emily lives and go to her office in the Palais Royale without a bus. It seems that she only hangs around the Pantheon. Even Camille’s art gallery is in the Marais near Pont Marie so she could walk.
Or she’s like every other American and her daddy pays for her Uber? I met a girl who studies at AUP and she said most of the people at her school took an Uber everyday from their apartments in the 16th to the 7th. I had a friend who has owned a home in the Marais for 16 years, doesn’t live there all year round (rents it out) and she never leaves the Marais. She takes Uber everywhere, despite the fact that the Marais is tiny.
Honestly, this was exactly the kind of cheesy, mindless content I needed. It’s a fictional show, with fictional characters. Everyone needs to sit down.
middle-aged man writing a young female character because there are no female writers in the business am i right
It’s a good thing he gets us, or else who’d tell our stories???
I think they show Paris perfectly given the lens we’re seeing it through. Emily is a privileged white American who‘s come there WANTING the Paris fantasy and not a realistic look at Parisian life.
A woman like that can 100% have that experience of Paris if that’s what she wants.
I haven’t been interested in this series cause Darren Starr is bad with diversity and his idea of Paris has no Black women.
I guess I’m one of the only ones who liked the show, ha ha. I liked Sex and the City and just felt like this was kind of the same – just an easy, mindless TV show. Sometimes life is so full of crap and depressing, shows like this are nice.
WHAT A SHAME THAT PARIS IS FULL OF PARISIANS!
Xo xo from a Parisian 😉
As an American who lived in Paris during college for a year, I loved the portrayal of Paris and was nostalgic. Of course the show is not realistic – the same way NYC in Gossip Girl wasn’t realistic or The OC wasn’t realistic or 90210 wasn’t realistic. It’s a fluffy television show- and it’s meant for pure enjoyment, not to say something deep or meaningful. Enjoy it for what it is!
The French are mad because they don’t like Americans so it would always be an issue regardless IMO.
It’s a fun show, Emily is a terribly vapid character, no substance and yet she’s the genius changing everybody’s business (insert eyeroll).
I’m just glad they didn’t make her a fashion designer.
It’s fantasy and escapism. I enjoyed the episodes to get my mind off the shitshow of reality and I could relive my paris experience last year.
The french don’t like Americans? Since when? In fact I’m pretty sure they hate the British more. All of the French I encountered love Americans. Why? Because we’re rich and spend money and import all of our tv and movies so French watch Netflix and Malcom in the Middle (seriously why do they like that show so much?) and the Simpsons plays every night at 10pm. You’ll be hard pressed to find many French in Paris who hate Americans. That’s a cliche.
Ashley
French person here, I’m not sure we can generalise in these broad terms ‘the French hate the British but love the Americans’. Moving away from generalisations, the tourism industry may very well be super welcoming to American tourist (hence your comment « we are rich » I assume, although I don’t think American tourists are richer than any other tourists), but remember there was a lot of French bashing by Americans that happened especially circa 2003 for obvious reasons and that is still remembered in France. All that to say- the French have a friendly rivalry with the British, but we don’t LOVE Americans.
@SalinetteP
Spot on!
Emily was the worst character and the show was a superhard cringe throughout but I liked her Chinese bff and I loved seeing gorgeous shots of Paris throughout. Paris me manque!
“I May Destroy You is the Sex and the City for now.” Whhhhaaaaaat? No Just no.
My reaction too.
Same, super rude to even compare the two.
Eh, if I wanted to see clueless white women get rewards they don’t deserve, I’d turn on Fox News.
this comment wins
I watched it. Yes, it’s bubblegum for the mind but after what 2020 has brought us, that is fine by me. It’s silly and on a rainy cold Sunday afternoon, exactly what I needed. After reading headlines like the lady with the razorblade laced Trump yard signs, this is a welcome fantasy land.
Yeps. It was stupid, but exactly as expected. Mr. Gem watched the whole thing too and we laughed and laughed. Definitely glossed over some grittier elements especially around Sacré-Cœur and the supposed locale of that stupid stair bed.
Overall it was a “scenic trip to Paris” for some trapped Americans.
At least they had one black guy? I mean Darren’s doing better, I guess??? Unlike SATC, oof.
@Megan2
Thanks for saving me the trouble of responding to Ashley.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
SATC already DID have 4 characters…
I lived in France for 13 years, now I live in Switzerland so I still go there very often to see the family. I cannot stand this show.
I’m sure that if it took place in another place, I would not be so critical. My brain just sees it as cartoon fake but without really owning it….just my humble opinion
Everytime I’m at target or a thrift store and I see cute signs for Paris and things for your bookshelf like little eiffel tower a I thi j people are fetishizing this who’ve never been to paris because it’s known for rude people. That was my experience certainly. Other areas of france people were not rude. I remember natalie portman living there for a couple years because her husband worked for a ballet dancer group there and she did an interview saying she forgot how nice it was to be in an elevator with friendly people who would smile and wave back to her toddler. Really small things to be grateful for which showed how cold people were to her in paris.
Forgot to mention when I went myself for three days at Christmas senior year of college someone who worked at the eiffel tower rolled their eyes at me. Ummm…you’re frustrated at dealing with people who don’t speak your language? Then why are you working at one of the biggest sight seeing attractions of your country? A waitor did the same thing to me. While I smiled and nodded he just kept throwing daggers at me. The guy behind the desk at the youth hostel I rented at was great though.
I thought Paris was beautiful but yes, very dirty, especially the metro. Compared to cities like Berlin, Vienna, Stockholm, Copenhagen, or London, it is not as clean (Vienna is without a doubt the cleanest city I have ever visited. It’s remarkable). Paris is also notorious for pickpockets; I could literally feel someone getting their hands in my pocket outside of Sacre-Coeur at Montmarte. Luckily I didn’t have anything in my pockets for them to take. The Champs des Mars is even worse. There was also a cabbie that tried to scam my American friends and me with an exorbitant “late night surcharge”. I just flatly told him in French that I wasn’t paying that, and he gave it up. I think that really is the difference. If you speak to the Parisians in French, even if it’s bad French, they won’t try to mess with you or condescend to you. If you speak American-accented English, all bets are off, because they tend to really dislike Americans. The city is very beautiful and worth seeing, but I’d take Berlin, London, or Copenhagen any day of the week over Paris. Copenhagen in summer? So cheerful, so friendly, bathed in the bright light of the North. It’s fantastic.
Guilty pleasure of mine. I hate the hate (I know) it got because of the stereotypes. They weren’t hurtful, some of them were true. No big deal!
Having said that I loved some of Carrie’s outfits. Some really worked even if in whimsical way. I really disliked Emily’s outfits. How come?
not sure why everyone seems to be taking the show so seriously? it was a fun watch and NOT a guilty pleasure at all. Why should I feel guilty about a show thet made me genuinely smile? I guess too many people are insecure in the world… I laughed a lot, so I thank you Darren!!
It’s a fun watch. I watched with my husband since he’s french but NOT from Paris. He’s actually the very opposite to a french cliché so it was amusing to watch.
I don’t see any similarity to SATC. To me it’s a mix between Legally blond and Clueless.
Emily in Paris is dividing the nation! I loved it. It was a fun watch. I go to Netflix for entertainment, not for accurate depictions of Parisian history, culture, gender roles or whatever. Just give me cute clothes, handsome men, and beautiful surroundings.
Lol reading the comments makes me realize there’s a bunch of Emilys on cb hahhaha
He’s comparing “Sex and the City” to “I May Destroy you”. Are you kidding me? What a pompous asshat.
“I May Destroy You” is in a category by itself. It’s so original and wonderful. Did this guy even watch it? If what he got from watching it was, oh that’s just like my old show Sex and the City, he needs to go away forever.