For reasons to which I am not privy and which may be no more than pure chance the bulk of Daniele Thompson's screenplays feature ensemble casts and she is a Past Master at the multiple-character, multi-layered storyline. It was not surprising therefore than when she turned to directing she did so with her own screenplay La Buche which centered on three sisters and their disparate lives but also offered strong roles to four semi-leads with a handful of cameos (Isabelle Carre's neurotic wife, for example) for good measure. Thompson returned to the multi-character format in her third (and so far last)writer-director stint, the brilliant Fauteuils d'Orchestre but in between, as if to prove her versatility, she came up with this, essentially two-hander which exploits brilliantly the talents of Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno. Not that she ignores the bigger picture, she does, after all, set her story in an airport and an adjacent hotel allowing a mere five minutes or so of non-airport/hotel screen time at the very end.In a clear nod to the Hollywood epitomized by Billy Wilder she employs a meet-cute to bring the characters together and from then on it's downhill all the way with Thompson's sparkling dialogue slaloming its way to a brilliant finale. Both leads are a revelation and more than up to the task of working outside their 'image' (Binoche is not noted for comedy, Reno for romantic leads) and the obvious chemistry between them is confirmed by the outtakes that come with the DVD. There's a nice line in scenery chewing from Sergio Lopez in a well-placed cameo as the abusive lover from whom Binoche is fleeing and the sure-footedness of the other speaking roles is merely the bow on the ribbon with which Thompson ties her wonderful bauble. Sheer delight.

This is a creative film with an interesting premise that unfortunately doesn't exactly make sense in how the whole film is resolved in the end. Jean Reno and Juliette Binoche are travelers who are stuck at the airport during both a strike and bad weather. As the film unfolds, the lives of these two strangers intertwines and you slowly begin to see what a mess they have made of their lives. The contrived aspect of this is that the viewer KNOWS exactly where all this is going and it isn't exactly surprising that these two very different people were destined to fall in love--something that if you think about it made no sense at all since they were so different. After all, she is the child of two ardent Communists and he is a self-involved rich Capitalist! So, no matter how good the dialog and acting are, the film is stuck in the average range. It still is worth seeing but is ultimately too predictable to be a better film.FYI--Like many contemporary French films, this one has some very brief nudity, language and adult themes, so think twice before letting your younger kids see this one. It's probably fine for older teens.

Here we have an excellent example of a sweet film that takes a simple idea – man and woman meet at an airport during flight delays and have mistakes and chemistry bring them together – and gradually adds real DEPTH to the story and its characters through lots of dialogue. It ends up a cute little film that feels very real on every level.While there is a distinct lack of action and even events in the film, Décalage Horaire succeeds in holding your interest at all times through other means – it is one of those very talkative romantic comedies (Like Before Sunrise) with both insight and humour in its dialogue. You can't help but smile at times. Two of the biggest French actors, Jean Reno and Juliet Binoche, are fantastically dynamic as the lead roles and their chemistry feels real and appropriate.Although Décalage Horaire is definitely quirky, it is not desperately quirky (Amélie) except maybe when it comes to Reno's character Félix who, quite frankly, seems to be a genuinely disturbed obsessive compulsive. Even though Binoche is supposed to be his polar opposite in the film, she, too, is pretty off-beat but likable. To be fair, this film is hardly landmark in either Reno's or Binoche's careers, nor does it leave a very lasting impression, and it is increasingly fluffy toward the end. Yet for a romantic comedy, it sure is a sweet ode to love. 8/10

A simple film done simply superbly. I like a film that doesn't waste words, doesn't waste pouts and does exactly what it is meant to do without fuss. I like a film that adds a little magic and leaves the spirit happier than before. Not all the time, but it makes a change.It also makes a change from the empty hopeless modern romances that litter the screen trying to be charming, trying to be sincere, and falling flat on their collective scripts...This film has charm, intelligence, humour, pathos and a fine romance.Jean Reno gets better with every year and shows a range that few directors have had the courage to exploit. His only moment of madness was choosing to take part in the Da Vinci Code...he should give his salary to the American Writers Guild in the hope that they may start finding the next Preston Sturges...Juliette Binoche could act underwater and always brings something new to her roles. I would love to be her English Patient...The great actresses and films of the 30s may have long since disappeared, but surely someone can provide fine romantic/comedy scriptwriting...at least before we get to Bridget Jones 12...