Décalage horaire

"Décalage Horaire" or "Jet Lag" premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2002.

Danielle Thompson's "Decalage Horaire" is a simple, yet not necessarily simplistic, ode to love. The story concerns two opposites who meet at Charles de Gaulle Airport during a strike. They are constantly thrown together by fate ending up spending a night together (sex does not enter the equation) and during the course of their wait realising they have more in common than they thought.

Félix (Jean Reno) is a French man living in the US. He is chasing after a woman he belives he still loves. Rose (Juliette Binoche) is a Beautician who has a one-way ticket to Mexico, she is desperately running away from a man she no longer loves.

As Félix, Reno gives a sullen performance as a man on the edge, caught between the chronic boredom of his life and the disappointment of a failed romance. His chemistry with Binoche is magnetic, and surprising, it's so much stronger than the Binoche-Depp pairing of Chocolat.

The revelation of the film however is Juliette Binoche' terrific turn as Rose. The beautician who hides behind a mask of colouful makeup and only becomes truly beautiful the day she removes it.

Binoche in her first successful comic role (in Chocolat afterall she was a more tragic figure) succeeds in creating a wonderfully funny and charming young woman, with an endearingly vunerable side. Time after time Reno feeds her the lines and she returns with the best moments of the film. Two parts which stand out are when Felix assumes Rose is a prostitute and when she discusses her make-up routine with him. Binoche will probably be César nominated for her role, and because this is such a change in direction for her she may even win.

The best thing about "Décalage Horaire" is that it is not merely sentimental, it's ironic tone is winning and much more interesting. Thompson's assured directon shows signs of maturity since "La buche", while her writing is as astute as ever.

The ending in mexico to the strains of Macy Gray's redoubtable "I try" is a memorable ending, for it's immediacy and it's pure sheer pleasure.

Viva la Binoche!

Danièle Thompson, daughter of the famous producer Gérard Oury, wrote this comedy with her son Christopher. So making movies and writing scripts is apparently a family-mark. She was also director of this surprising comedy with a bit of a "Lubitsch"-touch and in the atmosphere of the movies of Claude Lelouch but with a high profiled own personality. Rose (Juliette Binoche) and Felix (Jean Reno) are characters that only could come out of the imagination of a woman. Their dialogues are well fit to their personality. Rose is a woman who is looking for real love and Felix is so busy that he has no time to even think of it. The circumstances at the airport will give them the time to know and appreciate each other. The movie shows how fate can put people together who normally never speak with each other.

Jet Lag is a romantic comedy. It follows all the usual routes, but offers great acting and good humour all the way.

Juliette Binoche is Rose, a thirtysomething who is finally taking control of her life and leaving her abusive boyfriend Sergio (Sergi Lopez).

Jean Reno is Felix. A frazzled businessman on his way to re-kindle his romance with an old flame.

However when a strike and fog halt all flights in Charles de Gaulle the two meet cute and end up spending the evening together. Of course we know they are made for each other, but thats not the point. Its not where they end up its how they get there.

Jet Lag opens with huge energy and a real sense of airport chaos. It then focuses in on the duo in on a hotel room as they spend time together trading insults and exchanging banter. The dialogue is sparkling and the performances spot on.

Then ineveitably their planes take off and they go their seperate ways... or do they?

Thompsons film is a breath of fresh air with Juliette Binoche a revelation in a totally "un-binoche" role. She is cheap and common with a heart of gold. Reno is very much her comic foil, and glerefully allows her the lime light.

Jet Lag is a refreshing take on an old format. It will not suffer on the small screen either so catch it on DVD!

`Jet Lag' is a French romantic comedy that takes place almost entirely in an airport terminal and an airport hotel. Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno are two strangers who meet at the Paris airport and end up sharing a room when all flights are cancelled due to an air traffic controllers strike (think of how this affair would have been thwarted had Reagan been France's president at the time!). Rose and Felix are both riddled with insecurities and anxieties, having been largely unlucky in the ways of love. Yet, after some predictable initial tension between them, they somehow manage to find a mutual strength – and attraction - in their combined weaknesses.

`Jet Lag' is so simple and unassuming in its early stages that we are amazed to discover, about a third of the way through, just how completely it has managed to sneak up on us and win us over. Unlike most American romantic comedies, `Jet Lag' allows its characters to actually talk and get to know one another. It sure doesn't hurt, of course, that Binoche and Reno are such talented, attractive performers who establish an astonishing rapport in their scenes together. Sure, the plotting isn't exactly believable, but when is that ever the case in a film of this type anyway? The thing that matters is that we like the people we have become involved with and that we can accept, if only for just a moment, the possibility that they might be able to find happiness together. That is certainly the case in this film. (If there is a criticism to be leveled against the film, it is that it is simply too short, clocking in at barely over 80 minutes. How many films can one say THAT about?).

`Jet Lag' could have been a completely insubstantial little film; instead, it resonates with a joyfulness and charm that truly captivate the viewer. This is a winner well worth checking out.

This delicious, light, romantic comedy is full of surprises and subtleties.

Witfully written and superbly acted, it shows why Juliette Binoche is such a great asset to modern cinema. Outstanding chemistry with Reno makes this theatrical play made into a movie a rewarding experience to be treasured. Juliette Binoche shows her talent in a totally different role to most of the ones she has played before, she is a common girl with many problems and yet her nobility and class shine through. If you like Binoche you will love Jet lag. Don't miss it.