Jet Lag (2003)
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Theatrical Release: Jun 13, 2003 Limited
Box Office: $409,632
Synopsis: Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno play strangers who meet in an airport (via cell phone) when their flights are canceled because of a strike in Daniele Thompson's romantic French comedy JET LAG. Binoche is Rose, a woman obsessed with makeup and style, who is seemingly shallow and selfish. Reno,... Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno play strangers who meet in an airport (via cell phone) when their flights are canceled because of a strike in Daniele Thompson's romantic French comedy JET LAG. Binoche is Rose, a woman obsessed with makeup and style, who is seemingly shallow and selfish. Reno, taking a break from playing action heroes in American films (GODZILLA, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE), is Felix, a lonely former chef who is now a frozen-food king. Rose is seeking a new life in Mexico, far from her abusive former lover, Sergio (Sergi Lopez), while Felix is heading to Munich to recapture something he has lost. Both have dysfunctional relationships with their parents--Rose with her mother, Felix with his father. As they are stuck in Charles de Gaulle Airport and later in an airport hotel, truths come out that force them to face their uncertain futures. Elisabeth Tavernier's costume design for Rose is a riot; Binoche wears lots of makeup and very bright red and blue outfits. Reno, in contrast, plays his character with a quiet, sad solemnity. Interestingly, Thompson began her career writing screenplays with her father, actor-writer-director Gerard Oury, and she cowrote JET LAG with her son, Christopher. [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Jean Reno, Sergi Lopez, Karine Belly, Raoul Billerey
Screenwriter: Daniele Thompson, Christopher Thompson
Producer: Alain Sarde
Composer: Eric Serra
DVD Info
Release:
Jun 1, 2004
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Charming in its predictability, yet not without its pleasures. The leads share a very casual chemistry, an odd couple that refreshingly isn't at odds with each other.
Good acting makes us momentarily forget that we get enough of this stuff right here at home without having to import it for some reason.
Manages to surprise and absorb the viewer in ways that your typical 'meet cute' romance never would.
This modest soufflé of a romance rests securely on [Reno and Binoche's] shoulders.
In the realm of predictable rom-coms, this one has enough charm and humor to divert us for an hour and a half.
If Jet Lag were showing on an airplane, I'd jump out the window and take my chances with gravity.
The idea of gruff, scruffy Reno and the elegant- as-ever Binoche getting together is far too ridiculous to swallow even for a minute.
What makes Jet Lag almost work is the unexpected chemistry between the ethereal Binoche and the gravelly Reno.
...even at a running time of only 91-minutes, the film often feels substantially longer.
All the usual meet-cute tropes are trotted out -- room service hassles, bed-sharing dilemmas -- but Reno and Binoche make a fine pair and the Parisian setting somehow makes it all seem fresher.
A romantic comedy with just enough heart and soul to keep us flying.
Related Forums

by: REEL_REVIEWER 6/23/05

Top Critic

