Synopsis

NBA referee Mickey Gordon travels to France to bury his father alongside his former World War II platoon. When the airline loses the casket, Mickey meets Ellen Andrews, an American working in Paris who helps him recover it. Their brief encounter becomes a passionate romance, but returning to work in the United States tests whether their relationship can survive beyond the magic of Paris.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film's premise grew out of a real conversation Billy Crystal and his wife, Janice, had with friends in a restaurant. Their discussion about marriage after the honeymoon provided the starting point for the story.

• The movie combines romantic comedy with an unusually prominent professional basketball setting. Several NBA players appear as themselves, allowing the basketball sequences to use recognizable athletes rather than fictional substitutes.

• Crystal's interest in the basketball material was personal. He grew up playing basketball, knew Kareem Abdul-Jabbar while growing up, and has long been associated with the Los Angeles Clippers.

• Paris officials reportedly required a screen credit for the lighting of the Eiffel Tower before permitting the landmark to be shown in the production.

• Filming took place in Paris and nearby areas of France, as well as New York City and Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. The production was filmed from September 26 through December 28, 1994.

• The soundtrack draws heavily on classic American popular music, including songs associated with George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Gene Kelly's *An American in Paris*.