Love is in the Air
by M. Faust
“This is going to be grim,” moans hung-over lawyer Antoine (Nicolas Bedos) as he seats himself for a flight from New York to Paris. It’s not so much the headache and lack of sleep as it is his seatmate, Julie (Ludivine Sagnier), the woman he hasn’t seen since they broke up three years ago.
More aptly titled Amour & turbulences in France (and a pox on the head of whoever retitled it for US distribution, thus fixing that John Paul Young song in my head for the past day), Love Is in the Air is seldom grim for viewers. It’s the kind of Euro romance where you never for a moment doubt that our hero and heroine will be in each other’s arms when “La fin” flashes on screen.
As they rehash unsettled differences, director Alexandre Castagnetti takes us off the plane (for those of you fearing Non-Stop 2) and into the past. Flashbacks show their first meeting: The artistically bent Julie suspects that Antoine is a “player” but goes out with him on a lark to study his technique. He finds himself falling in love for the first time and sets his past aside (goodbye, little black book) to persuade her of his sincerity. Circumstances intrude, and if the finale that gets them back together is ridiculous, what else were you expecting?
It’s pleasant but forgettable, never as funny as it should be nor more than emotionally skin deep. Fans of French cinema will recall Sagnier from numerous films, particularly François Ozon’s Swimming Pool. Bedos, a name you’re likely to know only if you were among the three or four people who saw The Players a few weeks ago, is a charmer who carries the bulk of the movie. If the weather manages to match the calendar this weekend, it’s exactly what some of you will want to see.
Watch the trailer for Love is in the Air
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