La chance de ma vie

It's not hard to see why Second Chances happens to be one of the biggest romantic comedies for the French last year, a genre that doesn't seem to buckle under clichés, when all the necessary ingredients for it to succeed get pumped in, from charismatic leads, a simple plot peppered with quirky incidents and a host of supporting characters breathing life to subplots, with a contemporary soundtrack of pop songs and ballads accentuating the mood from saccharine sweetness to the reflection of a hurt soul by a series of events beyond one's control.

Francois-Xavier Demaison plays Julien, a highly successful relationship counsellor blessed with the gift of resolving any fire-cracking situation amongst couples. We begin the film with his self-exile in a remote monastery, where he relates to us the flip side of his talent, which is counter-balanced with a string of disastrous short lived relationships of his own with the opposite sex. It seemed that every single one of his ex girlfriends decided to leave him because for some inexplicable reason they will all become Calamity Jane, and being warded in a hospital is such a norm that Julien develops a friendship with one of the resident doctors Vincent (Thomas N'Gijol).

But temptation to begin another relationship comes in the form of Johanna (Virginie Efira), a beautiful blonde who randomly catalyzes a friendship during a wedding reception she accidentally gatecrashed, culminating in a one night stand that sealed a steady relationship with Julien. And it naturally came with a photograph montage of the happy times they spend together, complete with cheeky snapshots of the accidents that happen to befall her. When Julien reveals the truth about his past relationships and the dangers that are looming over the horizon, Johanna brushes it off, and one would think they're set for life, but life is never easy, it comes with roadblocks, and challenges that will test the most steely of willpower and determination.

Director Nicholas Cuche kept things going at a very breezy pace, with comedy all well timed and delivered with natural precision by the cast, never feeling forced save for some deliberately over the top moments for some to keep in character. The charisma of the leads will make you root for them to stay together despite the odds staking up against them in the form of a series of bad luck, and having a customer's well to do, good looking son also falling for Johanna, turning up the heat of the competition. While Francois-Xavier Demaison shone with his hang dog puppy demeanour who just cannot believe, and has to resign to his lack of luck, it was Virginie Efira who proved to be more than a good looking host, showcasing her knack for acting with a flair for physical comedy when it's called for.

And when Second Chances looked set to become one lightweight romantic comedy, the final act, hinged around a sudden realization, will hit you. Hard. And made this film a winner. It's about how we usually are quick to jump to conclusions especially when the going is bad, and you'd realize just how true that is especially when it's like a default human trait that we succumb to from time to time. It's easy to blame others for things that don't go our way, and to quickly claim credit for times when they do, forgetting about the backend efforts already laid out and in place for things to happen successfully. Highly recommended!

Excellent movie, in the life of a man that everything goes wrong with women, without seeking he found the balance. Very interesting love Plot, nice stories with unimaginable events; Those are very witty and very funny, I loved the fresh point of view, very European about the troubles, you can not miss this one. Enjoyable, You won't be able to stop laughing I promise. The characters are so charming and there is an interesting way to develop the story, you will be analyzing yourself about your relationships. I really love a movie that can do that... The movies that can go further 65 minutes, I hope you will find it interesting like I did.

A funny comedy - it started to feel like it is too much to ask in the past decade when every comedy (especially romantic comedy) is less funny than the previous one. I refer to the mainstream Hollywood cinema, naturally. It sometimes feels like the only solution is to resort to 1930 - 1950s golden age films or the undiscovered gems of 1980s. Gladly, there is still French cinema. French comedy I always found to be original, expressive, charmingly physical and frothy - and luckily it seems like it hasn't lost that charming something that makes it so good.

This film is fresh, hysterically funny at times, quirky, ironic, wistful, inspiring and very entertaining - everything that a comedy should be in my opinion. "Un plan parfait" has perhaps engrossed me more - but it is a lovely film on a par with "Heartbreaker" (2010) and "Love is in the air" (2013) . "Second chance" is a perfect rainy day film - it may not be easy to get dubbed or subtitled versions - but the effort is worth it.

Virgine Efira is a class-act. If Hollywood is looking an actress who has the complete package they need look no further. She is funny quick and gorgeous; a distinctive personality and screen presence. I've seen her steal another movie effortlessly 'Mon Pire Cauchmar' by Anne Fontaine in a small throw-away role up against seasoned pros. She's a much better bet for the money than more high-profile European actresses such as Audrey Tautou (no offense, she is a great actress but less well- suited to mainstream cinema).

This is an excellent high-concept romantic comedy which works. The two leads have great chemistry and carry-off a film which could have struggled with forced gags. It is a distinctly commercial and classical film which relishes the Hollywood style of comedy.

Laugh-out-loud comedies are rare and French cinema struggles often with its fear of being like American cinema and seeming dumb, this contempt for popular American cinema leads them nowhere fast and we have to sit through a lot of boring pretentious stuff, which is trying too hard to be either better or just different to Hollywood. The bottom line is that 'funny is money' as a Hollywood shark once explained to me, this is funny: enjoy!