L'amour au menu

This movie really isn't so bad! It has a rather pronounced "made for TV" sheen to it, but be that as it may, it is still a fun little romp in the sand.

Nastassja Kinski is remarkably likable as the lead female protagonist, and I marvel at her lack of German accent for someone born and raised in Germany. Timothy Dalton is charming as the slightly irrascible male protagonist unexpectedly forced to share his "time share" beach house with that other family. Geoffrey Lower is delightfully nerdish as the... well, nerdish beau/bio-engineer. And the various kids in the film are all very appealing.

All in all a pleasant, wholesome, fun-filled film, reasonably good family viewing (hey, I did afterall see this on the Family Channel, which is precisely where it belongs). And it was nice to see this film, as I did, around the end of winter: those summery beach scenes shot in and around Malibu, California will really have you dreaming about fine summer days and endless beach walking...

The divorced American chef Matthew "Matt" Farragher (Timothy Dalton) takes two week vacation to spend with his son Lewis (Billy Kay) and his daughter Daphne Farragher (Natalie Elizabeth Marston) in the Balboa Island, in Panama. The German researcher of the genetically modified vegetables Dr. Julia Weiland (Nastassja Kinski) is also taking vacation in Balboa with her sons Thomas (Kevin Zegers) and Max (Cameron Finley) and her boring fiancé Russell (Geoffrey Lower). Matt gives freedom to his children and has fun with them while the uptight Julia raises her sons with rigid discipline. While driving to the ferry to the island, Matt and Julia have an argument. Soon they learn that they both rented the same house by the sea due to a mistake of the real estate. Further, the hotels and island are completely booked and they need to share the house. However, along the days their initial animosity begins to change while their children get along with each other very well. But Russell wants to marry Julia and Matt's girlfriend Felice (Carlton Elizabeth Gebia) wants to go one step ahead in their relationship.

"Time Share" a.k.a. "Bitter Suite", is a delightful romantic comedy with many funny situations. The chemistry between the gorgeous Nastassja Kinski and the handsome Timothy Dalton is perfect and makes the film a perfect entertainment with well balanced comedy and romance. The teenagers and children have also great participation in the story and this film is indeed worthwhile watching even for the third time. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Encontro às Avessas" ("Topsy Turvy Encounter")

TIME SHARE is not the kind of film that will find it's way onto anyone's 'Top Ten' list, but as a light, entertaining romantic comedy, it is a pleasant diversion, and offers stars Timothy Dalton and Nastassja Kinski more 'audience friendly' roles than they've been appearing in, lately.

He's a master chef/widower with devoted kids, a 'live life to the fullest' attitude, and a wicked grin; she's a botanist/divorcee with a geeky fiancé, frustrated kids, and a pent-up passion searching for an outlet. From the moment they meet, trying to squeeze their cars past one another for the last spot on a ferry to their island rental, they become both enemies and rivals, a situation that becomes even more pronounced when they discover that both families have been accidentally booked into the same summer rental. While the kids quickly bond, Dalton and Kinski simply seem to find more ways to irritate one another...although when she caresses him in the shower (thinking him to be her fiancé), she discovers him to be far more of a man than her current beau...and listening to her talk in her sleep, he learns that her aloofness hides a smoldering sexuality waiting to be released.

Can True Love be far away?

While a subplot of two of the children trapped on a sailboat in a storm lacks the tension to be truly effective, and Kinski's boyfriend is portrayed as so buffoonish and asexual that you wonder why she fell for him in the first place, the sexual chemistry between Dalton and Kinski is potent, and the film is romantic enough to make a good 'date movie'.

For an evening's 'light' entertainment, you could do far worse than this easy-going comedy!

I would really like to have this Timothy Dalton comedy on DVD. Fun, family vacation setting with two families wanting to vacation in the same location. That's when the fun begins. The house turns out to be double rented. One family is easy-going while the other is painfully straight-laced. The kids learn from each other while helping their parents see that they should be together even though they think differently. What can I say but opposites attract. This film has such witty dialogue and plays up the confusion. Timothy is superb in the cooking scene. He just plays that scene for all it's worth. I was delighted with the dance scene in the club house too. This is truly a great family comedy.

I would recommend this movie for any fans of romantic comedy. It is very light hearted, funny, and the characters are quite likable. Timothy Dalton and Nastassja Kinski make a good combination. The children were not the dysfunctional type we so often see in movies. I enjoyed it quite a bit.