Plot

Dean is a maverick American film director surprised that his most recent film has been chosen as the Official U.S. Entry at the Venice Film Festival. A beautiful French journalist arrives at the festival with the apparent intention of interviewing the unique and eccentric filmmaker. In the midst of all the festival madness, she is forced to confront the wide divergence between things as they really are and things as they seem to be - both on screen and off. And so, finally, are we. Shot half in Venice, Italy and half in Venice, California, "Venice/Venice" looks at the profound effect movies have had - and continue to have - on our lives, our loves and on our dreams of romance.—Henry Jaglom

In Venice, Italy, Dean (Henry Jaglom), an independent filmmaker and actor, attends the annual Venice Film Festival where his latest movie 'New Year's Day' has been selected as the sole entry from the United States. While fielding interviews with European journalists at the Hotel des Bains, Dean flirts with Jeanne-Marie (Nelly Allard), a beautiful French woman who writes for a film magazine. Jeanne-Marie admits to being nervous because she admires Dean's work, and disagrees with the widely held view that his films are self-indulgent.

Eve (Daphna Kastner), Dean's assistant, becomes frustrated when he instructs her to cancel several interviews lined up that afternoon.

Jeanne-Marie translates for another French journalist, who asks Dean about the narcissism in his work. Dean explains the difference between "good narcissism" and "bad narcissism."

Later, Jeanne-Marie observes Dean in a meeting with a sales agent, and is surprised to hear him speak enthusiastically about the business side of filmmaking. She has always considered Dean a Hollywood outsider, whose only concern is to represent reality through his art, but he argues that promotion and marketing are part of the job.

Dean finds Dylan (David Duchovny), the star of his latest film, and Lauren (Suzanne Lanza), Dylan's girl friend and co-star, by the hotel pool. He strokes Lauren's leg and tells her that Swedish critics love her. Eve apologizes to Dylan when Dean is out of earshot, explaining that he is always partial to actresses.

Elsewhere, Dean chats with Carlotta (Suzanne Bertish), a British actress and former girl friend, who calls him arrogant when he claims that Jeanne-Marie likes him. Dean clarifies that Jeanne-Marie is infatuated by his onscreen persona. However, he intends to let her know that he is not the same person he portrays in his films.

Jeanne-Marie and Eve accompany Dean to a lunch meeting with more journalists. Eve translates for an Italian interviewer, who asks why Dean chooses to focus on female characters. Dean says he believes that women are more truthful about their emotions. He discusses the heightened importance of moments caught on film. Jeanne-Marie, who studied physics, responds by describing the famous experiment, "Schrodinger's cat," and asserting that particles behave differently when observed.

On a gondola ride with Jeanne-Marie, Dean remarks that he never travels outside of work. He relishes the opportunity to share the beauty of his surroundings. Jeanne-Marie comments that everything in the universe is connected, and their particles may have been very close before the Big Bang. Dean kisses her and expresses his appreciation for her romantic notion of physics.

That night, Jeanne-Marie meets Carlotta and asks about her relationship with Dean. Carlotta claims she never stopped loving him but states, "Life is not a movie." Carlotta suspects Dean will cast Jeanne-Marie in one of his films, but she replies that she would rather be a figure in his real life.

Later, Jeanne-Marie begs Dean to accompany her to a screening. Dean argues that he has no time to attend festival events. He promises to pick her up afterward but arrives late. Jeanne-Marie cries and reprimands Dean, who discourages her from making a scene. She tells him to leave her alone and storms off.

Sometime later, Jeanne-Marie surprises Dean by showing up at his house in Venice, California, in the midst of a party. She meets Peggy (Melissa Leo), Dean's much younger girl friend, and worries that she has made a mistake. However, they take a stroll on the Venice boardwalk and reconnect. Jeanne-Marie recalls her childhood in Brittany, France, and tells him she has always wanted to see a sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

Back at Dean's house, Eve asks Peggy what she thinks about Jeanne-Marie. Although Eve considers her a "femme fatale," Peggy likes her.

That night, Peggy thanks Dean for helping her through a difficult time in her life and encourages him to pursue a relationship with Jeanne-Marie, despite his fears that he cannot give Jeanne-Marie what she needs.

In the morning, he brings Jeanne-Marie with him to the office, where Eve has arranged a casting call for Dean's next film, to be titled 'Happy Endings'. Dean explains to the awaiting actresses that they are auditioning to play the role of his wife, on film and possibly in real life. He interviews the actresses as a group. Eve demands an audition, stating that she already plays the role of Dean's wife by taking care of him. Dean claims he does not want a servile partner, but Eve insists that Dean has been searching for a mother figure since she met him. Jeanne-Marie asks to audition as well. She imagines being Dean's wife would be difficult, as there is no room in his life for a family. He suggests they make a film in which Jeanne-Marie plays a journalist who interviews him in Venice.

Later, Dean and Jeanne-Marie watch footage of the argument they had at the film festival. Jeanne-Marie tells Dean about the Heisenberg principle, theorizing that the same particle can be in two places at once. Dean marvels at the possibility that they could be in Venice, Italy, and Venice, California; the past and the future... in movies and in real life... all at the same time.