Jet Lag (2002)

Two top notch actors in perfect form, in a completely enjoyable production. Watching Binoche .. bit.ly/1aJ58QR ..(50yo and still completely amazing.. in looks and talent).. and Reno, together they just make it seem so darn effortless and natural. As romantic comedies go, foreign or domestic, you'd be hard pressed to find anything better. Some might quibble a bit in regards to the ending, but it gets you to the place you were hoping to go. Yes of course you want to see them fall into each others arms in a warm embrace with lots of kisses, but that's not the way this film was set up. Those images will have to become alive in your imagination.

Here we have an excellent example of a sweet film that takes a simple idea – man and woman meet at an airport during flight delays and have mistakes and chemistry bring them together – and gradually adds real DEPTH to the story and its characters through lots of dialogue. It ends up a cute little film that feels very real on every level.While there is a distinct lack of action and even events in the film, Décalage Horaire succeeds in holding your interest at all times through other means – it is one of those very talkative romantic comedies (Like Before Sunrise) with both insight and humour in its dialogue. You can't help but smile at times. Two of the biggest French actors, Jean Reno and Juliet Binoche, are fantastically dynamic as the lead roles and their chemistry feels real and appropriate.Although Décalage Horaire is definitely quirky, it is not desperately quirky (Amélie) except maybe when it comes to Reno's character Félix who, quite frankly, seems to be a genuinely disturbed obsessive compulsive. Even though Binoche is supposed to be his polar opposite in the film, she, too, is pretty off-beat but likable. To be fair, this film is hardly landmark in either Reno's or Binoche's careers, nor does it leave a very lasting impression, and it is increasingly fluffy toward the end. Yet for a romantic comedy, it sure is a sweet ode to love. 8/10

A simple film done simply superbly. I like a film that doesn't waste words, doesn't waste pouts and does exactly what it is meant to do without fuss. I like a film that adds a little magic and leaves the spirit happier than before. Not all the time, but it makes a change.It also makes a change from the empty hopeless modern romances that litter the screen trying to be charming, trying to be sincere, and falling flat on their collective scripts...This film has charm, intelligence, humour, pathos and a fine romance.Jean Reno gets better with every year and shows a range that few directors have had the courage to exploit. His only moment of madness was choosing to take part in the Da Vinci Code...he should give his salary to the American Writers Guild in the hope that they may start finding the next Preston Sturges...Juliette Binoche could act underwater and always brings something new to her roles. I would love to be her English Patient...The great actresses and films of the 30s may have long since disappeared, but surely someone can provide fine romantic/comedy scriptwriting...at least before we get to Bridget Jones 12...

I caught this on French TV about 2 months ago, with high hopes because it features Jean Reno, but I was very disappointed. It's a romantic comedy so by definition you expect to forgive some contrived story-telling, but in return you expect some kind of narrative sleight of hand to distract you from the mechanics. Unlike fast-moving classic chick-flick When Harry Met Sally, this film is all talk and no action and it moves at a snail's pace, forcing you to deliberate over every drawn-out narrative twist.Jean Reno plays an uptight, very private celebrity chef who is obsessively clean. Co-star Juliette Binoche is a Bohemian middle aged beautician who lives behind a mask of makeup, constantly calling her mother and trapped in a destructive relationship. The film asks us to believe that because he loans her his phone and tries to pass on a message, then meets her unpleasant boyfriend, he will offer to share his hotel room when their flights are cancelled due to a strike and that they will both begin to open up emotionally.The performances are so subtle that they barely register, and the inevitability of the rom-com structure makes waiting through the minutiae of their developing relationship a challenge rather than a joy.