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JET LAG Send This Review to a Friend
In Danièle Thompson's frothy romantic French bauble "Jet Lag" a man and a woman meet at an airport and after basic antagonisms that begin during flight delays, warm to a relationship. The pleasant surprise is the light comedy performance by Juliette Binoche as Rose, the woman. Jean Reno is also amusing in the male lead as Felix.
Thompson, who wrote the screenplay with her son Christopher Thompson, keeps the pace smart and swift and the dialogue bright and witty. With such excellent stars, she succeeds admirably. But the main revelation is seeing what Binoche can do with comedy. As usual, she looks gorgeous and this is an important new step for her. Her reputation until now has rested on more solemn work, but here she shows a refreshing talent for romantic comedy.
There are other main characters in this film--cell phones. Thompson is very aware of the communications revolution, and the use of cell phones becomes a major ingredient, in fact the catalyst for getting the couple together when Binoche accidentally flushes hers down the toilet and needs to borrow one. (I can think of a lot of cell phones I'd like to see flushed down the toilet, such as those people use for talking on buses and in restaurants.)
There's also a nod to problems in travel these days. The complications occur at the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport in France, where being stranded because of delays throws the couple into proximity. Rose wants to get to Acapulco, Felix to Munich. On first sight they would make a very unlikely twosome. But this is the movies, and when they are forced to spend a night in the same hotel room, anything can happen. Not much lags in "Jet Lag," which offers pleasant entertainment and a new appreciation for Binoche. A Miramax release.
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