QUIRKY SHORT FILM "PICTURE PARIS," STARRING JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS, DEBUTS DEC. 17, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

Ellen is a suburban mom whose youngest child is about to go off to college. Terrified by the question, "What now?," she envisions a life-changing trip to Paris with her husband - only to discover that the journey isn't exactly what she expected.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (recent Emmy(R)-winner for HBO's "Veep") stars in PICTURE PARIS, a quirky short film filled with big surprises, debuting MONDAY, DEC. 17 (9:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Brad Hall, Louis-Dreyfus' real-life husband, wrote and directed the darkly comic special about life's difficult transitions.

Other HBO playdates: Dec. 19 (3:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 23 (5:20 p.m.), 26 (10:30 a.m.) and 29 (10:30 a.m., 5:45a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Dec. 20 (11:30 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), 24 (3:30 p.m.) and 30 (9:30 a.m.), and Jan. 4 (5:50 p.m.), 8 (2:30 p.m., 11:40 p.m.), 13 (3:30 p.m.) and 17 (4:45 p.m.)

At a loss when her youngest offspring is headed for college, Ellen decides to pour all her emotional energy into planning a romantic trip-of-a-lifetime to Paris with her husband, Randy. She becomes consumed with cheese, wine and French perfume, immersing herself in all things Parisian. Ellen takes French cooking classes from Chef Pierre de Burbank, peppers her speech with French phrases, flirts with everyone, including the pool man, and makes passionate love to her husband, all in anattempt to replace her fear of a lonely, childless future with a fantasy life.

In Paris, however, Ellen discovers a city that's a far cry from what she expected. Surrounded by beauty in the most romantic city in the world, she still feels empty. A flirtation with a preposterously handsome waiter, a night with a high-school crush, plenty ofcroissants and baguettes, the Jardin Luxembourg, the Eiffel Tower and the sudden possibility that her Parisian dreams will come true all lead to a shocking realization about what she has left behind at home.

Notes writer-director Brad Hall, "We all desire what Paris promises - extraordinary beauty and passion. But do we get these things in real life?"

PICTURE PARIS also stars Rachael Harris ("The Hangover"), D.W. Moffett ("Friday Night Lights"), Jeff Perry ("Grey's Anatomy"), Matthew Fahey ("Awkward"), Tom Virtue ("The Secret Life of the American Teenager"), Eric Elmosnino (César Award winner for "Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life") and Grégory Fitoussi ("World War Z").

In September, Julia Louis-Dreyfus received the Emmy(R) for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the HBO comedy series "Veep," which returns for its second season in 2013. She previously won Emmys(R) for "Seinfeld" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine."

PICTURE PARIS was written and directed by Brad Hall; produced by Julie R. Snyder, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Brad Hall; co-producer, Merrilee Holt; director of photography, Brandon Cox; editor, Shon Hedges; original music by Steve Rashid.