A lot of people have trouble sleeping at night. Many will take pills that will put them out, but suppress dreaming. This creates a hangover effect the next day. These pills can also be habit-forming.

Jefferson in Paris is a wonderful alternative to these sleeping aids. This costume drama depicts the time after the American Revolution when Jefferson was ambassador to France. These are interesting times. The French Revolution takes place during the course of this film. Freedom of religion, slavery, class wars, and battle between the heart and the head run throughout this film. Damn, it takes talent to make all of this boring!

This should have glued us to the screen, but Jefferson is just a dull guy. He wrote one of the most important essays in Western civilization, but that was years ago, and we don't get to dwell on it. Too bad, that would have been interesting.

This is a beautifully photographed film with hundreds of people who come together to give you a vivid picture of Paris at the time of the revolution. But it's biting off too many subjects for one film. You could take any one of these subjects and make much better films out of each. Here are a few examples.

The French Revolution: Screw Bread, We Want Pizza!
Maria Antoinette: The Bitch is Back!
Slavery: A Story of Morals
The Declaration of Independence: Jeez, Mr. Hancock, Your Signature Sure Is Big!
How to Mess Around With the Wives of Gay British Men

We heartily recommend Jefferson in Paris for those sleepless nights in Seattle. It's non-habit forming, and most of your dreams will have a better plot. Warning! People driving cars and airline pilots should not watch this film!