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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Airport, June 20, 2003
Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno are the protagonists in "Jet Lag," a melancholy and sad story about two people who fall in love through no fault of their own. They do everything to avoid it but ultimately cannot, due to the inevitability of fate and an over-riding sense of being in the right place at the right time (or the wrong place at the wrong time). Binoche as Rose is a down on her luck Cosmetician who has decided to flee a bad relationship and fly to Acapulco and Reno is Felix , trying to fly to Munich to hook up with his supposed girl friend. Needless to say, neither makes it to their destination. Director Daniele Thompson keeps it light and airy and banks on the screen personas of both Binoche and Reno to set the mood and tone of the film. Initially Reno looks at Binoche as an overly made-up bimbo while Binoche looks at Reno as an anal-retentive Bureaucrat. Both are right but come to realize that, though they are initially wrong for each other, are unavoidably, ultimately and cosmically destined to be with each other. Binoche and Reno trade on their patented dramatic personas and turn in slyly comic performances that are psychologically true. "Decalage Horaire" (Jet Lag) is a story of what happens when two emotionally weary and frozen people are willing to let their guards down and allow Love to enter their lives. It's a story as old as time but nonetheless feels fresh here because of the truthfulness and emotionally emphatic performances of Binoche and Reno.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
a real charmer, May 16, 2004
***1/2 "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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another Parisian Surprise, January 24, 2004
JET LAG is a rare treat. It is a smart, saucy film that takes two well known actors and gives then a chance to play different types and the result is very successful. Juliette Binouche steps into the tacky clothes and glitzy makeup of a superficial loquacious beautician who needs her makeup, perfumes, and wacky clothes to complete her 'self', an unlucky-at-love waif on her way to Acapulco from the Charles DeGaulle airport. She encounters a neurotic, fastidious (except for his groungy hair and beard) chef play by the usually dark 'hitman' Jean Reno and because of strikes in the Paris airlines and trains preventing scheduled flights, she agrees to share a room wiht him for the night until their separate flights are available. Well, of course, the 'odd couple' find subtle but strong needs in the opposite persons and the way their rather bizarre cohabitation results in their mutual and individual awakenings is the source of the plot and the delight for the viewer. Both Binouche and Reno create indelible characters and their transformations are wise and wonderful.. A definite 'feel good' movie - and we certainly need films like this as warm entertainment. Kudos to director Danielle Thompson for uncovering other layers in these two fine actors' gifts.
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