Rating: 
Summary: An okay movie
Review: Jefferson in Paris is an alright movie. It is to long and quite boring. The movie starts out with Sally Hemings's son Madison telling the story of his mother's relationship with Thomas Jefferson. Most of the movie focuses on Jefferson's relationship with Maria Cosway. Why would they have Sally's descendant tell of Jefferson's relationship with another woman besides his mother? Sally doesn't even enter the movie until the end and that is when the movie gets good. The actors did a great job considering the boring roles they had and Nick Nolte and Thandie Newton were superb. If you can sit through the beginning of this movie then I recommend this movie. If you can't save your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Jefferson in Paris- A Must See !
Review: Just finished watching Jefferson in Paris again for what seems like the upmteenth time and am amazed by how much more I undertood the movie, and how much of its many nuancies I'd missed, or simply forgotten, from previous viewings. For example, the almost competitive nature of the relationship between the perpetually sickly and sullen looking Martha "Patsy", Jefferson's daughter and the enigmatic Mrs. Conway, played by the incomparable Greta Sacchi; Mr. Conway's inexplicable jealousy at the blossoming relationship between his wife and Jefferson, even in spite of his flagrant homosexuality (addressed in a sublte, yet clear fashion, another example of this film's classiness), and much more.
From the beautifully hypnotic and classical soundtrack (an escapists dream), to the movie's scenery and wardrobe that encapsulates the European decadence of the period, not to mention the historic accuracy of events and the director's ability to entertwine both historical events of the time with a little poetic justice to fill in those gaps which history books have often left unfilled (such as Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemmings played with such nymph-like and utterly stunning talent by the amazing Thandie Newton), this movie is one of my all time favorites. Nick Nolte is perfect in this role and lends a keen sensitivity to Jefferon (not to mention sexiness!); Gweneth Paltrow does a wonderful job of making Patsy one of my least favorite characters in the movie: her sullen, bitter, jealous, clinging and insecure nature comes shining through under Paltrow's characterization, helping us to understand just how plausible it might have been for an incestuous relationship to have existed between herself and her father. The actor who plays James Hemming deserves much praise also in his rare portrayal of a young slave who is not only alert and smart (able to learn French and the art of French cusine without much help) and canny, but also endowed with the ability to reason and understand the liberties to which he is entitled as a human being, despite the clear absence of a formal education America's institution of slavery's denied him and others of his position.
However, the bulk of my praise goes to Thandie Newton and her portrayal of the young Sally Hemmings. Thandie lends to Hemmings a naivete, innocence, virginity, vulnerable good-natured childishness and beauty and myriad more qualities which at once make it easy to understand how Jefferon could so easily have engaged in an ongoing relationship with her. If the household in which he lived in true life was anything close to that portrayed in the film, then who could blame him for finding solace in the childish wit and naive entertaining quality and charm of a girl like Sally? It would appear that his household prior to her arrival was not entirely dissimilar to that of a dark hospital room- prisine and sanitary, yet devoid of sunlight and vibrancy such as the joyful sounds of laughter which Sally Hemmings' presence was able to illicit from the previously astute Jefferson.
An A plus cast, an exquisite soundtrack, coupled with an excellent attention to historical events of the time, make this one of my favorite period pieces. Ivory fans will not be disappointed. A must see for all those who profess to be American history buffs and those who share a love for escapist flights into a period in American and French history not too often portrayed in movies!!
Rating: 
Summary: Long, boring and offensive (to me anyway).
Review: Long and boring sum's this film up, and its anti-English (like most American film's these day's). Though you probably don't care about that. I'm going to keep this review short because this film does not deserve a long one.
Complete load of garbage.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet dreams
Review: Looking like he's waiting to be installed as an exhibit in Madame Tussaud's wax museum, hulking Nick Nolte is fatally miscast as the still controversial author of the Declaration of Independence. The rest of this Merchant and Ivory production might have survived Nolte providing the script was worthy of its fascinating subject. Instead, we have the cinematic equivalent of chloroform. If you can stay awake--who knows?--you might find something of merit here. Good luck.
Rating:
Summary: the real story is far more interesting than this movie
Review: please do yourself a favor and do not buy or even rent this film- i wish i had not wasted my time! i usually enjoy Mr. Ivory's films- "room with a view" is one of my all time favorites so with the recent discovery that Mr. Jefferson had indeed had an affair with his slave, Sally Hemming made me rent this video. That is only a tiny part of this way too long video, but that is not what is so bad, it is most insulting because the movie is told in retrospect by Ms. Hemmings desendents- so why on earth they would tell this story with their own relation is barely a bit player is beyond my comprehension. I'm certain that if the movie really had focused on that relationship it would have been interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Jefferson in Pieces
Review: This is an unusal period piece. What is the main theme? Slavery, incest (father-Nolte almost kisses his daughter- Patlrow, (Isn't the slave his daughter as well?), foreign service, women's freedom, (Paltrow character wants to stay in Paris and be a nun), or a close look at Jefferson himself? These elements don't really ever mesh into a complete story. It is somehat intriguing, however. I gave it 3 stars for the acting and costumes. If this film is based on fact, Jefferson was a pretty undesirable fellow!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting -somewhat
Review: This is basically a pretty good movie, although the first half (covering Jefferson's relationship with Maria Cosway) tends to drag. I wouldn't exactly call "Jefferson in Paris" one of the best that the Ivory/Merchant Productions has to offer.Nick Nolte gives a complex portrayal of a complex man. I wish I could say that Greta Sacchi was interesting, but I can't. Gweneth Paltrow, on the other hand, was excellent as Jefferson's shy, nervous and emotional oldest daughter. Thandie Newton did a competent job, but her black Southern accent was a touch too exaggerated. Like I said, this movie isn't exactly the best Ivory/Merchant has to offer, but the second half of the movie makes it worth viewing.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting -somewhat
Review: This is basically a pretty good movie, although the first half (covering Jefferson's relationship with Maria Cosway) tends to drag. I wouldn't exactly call "Jefferson in Paris" one of the best that the Ivory/Merchant Productions has to offer. Nick Nolte gives a complex portrayal of a complex man. I wish I could say that Greta Sacchi was interesting, but I can't. Gweneth Paltrow, on the other hand, was excellent as Jefferson's shy, nervous and emotional oldest daughter. Thandie Newton did a competent job, but her black Southern accent was a touch too exaggerated. Like I said, this movie isn't exactly the best Ivory/Merchant has to offer, but the second half of the movie makes it worth viewing.
Rating:
Summary: Many people walked out...I didn't have the energy
Review: This movie commits the one unforgivable cinematic sin: it's utterly boring. Some movies are so bad it's fun. Not this one. It just hums along, nothing much ever happening, until your brain becomes numb-ified. Truly, I even dug out my car keys and tried to scratch out my own eyes just to make it all stop...but I was yawning so much that I just kept poking myself in the tongue.
Rating: 
Summary: A movie ahead of its time -- it all turned out to be true!
Review: When this film premiered, critics scoffed that Merchant and Ivory were playing "fast and loose with historical fact." Now, a few years later and after biological DNA evidence, most of America believes that Jefferson did father children with Sally Hemings -- something many in the African-American world have always known in their hearts to be true. Merchant and Ivory were ahead of their time when they made this film; not only is it a piece of lost history, but it shows us a bizarre conflict in a divided man -- between conscience and love, between lofty ideals and human weakness. It's worth looking at this film again.
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