Paris, Texas

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Paris, Texas

R

1984

2h 25m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

58 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A disheveled man who wanders out of the desert, Travis Henderson (Harry Dean Stanton) seems to have no idea who he is. When a stranger manages to contact his brother, Walt (Dean Stockwell), Travis is awkwardly reunited with his sibling. Travis has been missing for years, and his presence unsettles Walt and his family, which also includes Travis's own son, Hunter (Hunter Carson). Soon Travis must confront his wife, Jane (Nastassja Kinski), and try to put his life back together.

Critics Consensus

A quiet yet deeply moving kind of Western, Paris, Texas captures a place and people like never before (or after).

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

09/14/2023

The panoramic vistas from the cinematographer Robby Müller are as breathtaking as any John Ford western, while the naturalistic performances and deft narrative structure make this the strongest movie in the career of its director, Wim Wenders.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

07/27/2022

5/5

... An eerie, sad story whose meaning disappears over the vast horizon as if on a highway heading away through the desert.

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Joe Pollack

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

10/07/2021

It's a striking, gripping film for most of its length, with Wenders and cinematographer Robby Muller showing a great love of and fascination for the land -- almost as if their European upbringings had made them slightly envious of the wide-open spaces.

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David Harris

Spectrum Culture

02/18/2025

Sometimes, the best movies about America aren’t made by American directors.

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

01/22/2025

Stanton—playing mute for the first act of Wim Wenders’ revered neo-Western—effectively authors the movie’s tone and pathos with his sorrowful, bottomless irises, right alongside Ry Cooder’s soul-quivering slide guitar score.

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Joshua Ryan

FandomWire

01/01/2025

9/10

The cinematography, consisting of wide shots, vacant landscapes and minimalist imagery, gives Paris, Texas a distinct visual style that perfectly compliments the mysterious and emotional core of its story.

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Luca M.

@Luca_melone 4d

Good plot, good scenes and cinematography. Lacked good character development and didn’t have a lot of attraction to me viewer wise. Could’ve used some more background knowledge of characters and music.

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thiago S

@Thiagostone Apr 13

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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bob C

@RT46426964 Mar 23

I finally caught up with this legendary European take on America and its social relations. Gets slowly into gear and then stays there until a little resolved conclusion. Worth the wait.

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Owen Z

@Hotebylaw Mar 6

One of the greatest movies ever made. A stunning visual masterpiece. Every shot composed and curated down to the atom. It took a foreign eye in Wim Wenders to capture perfect Americana.

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Jason S

@queebo Feb 20

Really slow movie that did nothing for me. The movie teases a big revelation about the past, but it's kind of a dud when revealed.

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Matthew D

@OceanSage Jan 26

This is such a strange and enchanting film. German director Wim Wenders, of Wings of Desire fame, crafts an enthralling neo-Western drama with Paris, Texas (1984). I was enthralled by how Wenders’ patient direction feels like a slow burn that is worth it. Writer Sam Shepard’s poetic script is profoundly philosophical, but also emotionally earnest. American character actor Harry Dean Stanton is excellent as the sorrowful, confused, lonely, and regretful Travis Henderson. Stanton becomes a startlingly sad figure. German actress Nastassja Kinski is gorgeous as Travis’ vanished wife Jane Handerson seems so lonely and sorrowful. Delightful American character actor Dean Stockwell is hilarious and heartfelt as Travis’ worried brother Walt Henderson. French actress Aurore Clément is lovely, sweet, and sad as Walt’s caring wife Anne Henderson. I adored her character Anne instantly.

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Wim Wenders

Director

Harry Dean Stanton

Travis

Nastassja Kinski

Jane

Dean Stockwell

Walt

Aurore Clément

Anne Henderson

Hunter Carson

Hunter

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Synopsis

A disheveled man who wanders out of the desert, Travis Henderson (Harry Dean Stanton) seems to have no idea who he is. When a stranger manages to contact his brother, Walt (Dean Stockwell), Travis is awkwardly reunited with his sibling. Travis has been missing for years, and his presence unsettles Walt and his family, which also includes Travis's own son, Hunter (Hunter Carson). Soon Travis must confront his wife, Jane (Nastassja Kinski), and try to put his life back together.

Director: Wim Wenders
Producer: Don Guest, Anatole Dauman
Screenwriter: L.M. Kit Carson, Sam Shepard
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 18, 1984, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $236.0K
Runtime: 2h 25m

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