I often wonder if directors sometimes tire of the boxes they find themselves put in. Chantal Akerman, who at the tender age of 25 delivered up the masterpiece Jeanne Dielman which not only changed the face of cinema but forever assured her place among other cinematic auteurs, once referred to herself as being funny like Charlie Chaplin. I guess she tired of simply saying it and decided to actually try it out. Unfortunately the result is not that great. The premise of the film is actually quite promising and suits the genre perfectly. A cold clinical psychoanalyst is overwhelmed by the neediness of his patients and decides to house swap. The person who answers his ad is a young dancer. She is all youth, exuberance and mess. He is cold, clean, calculated. While he can't get comfortable in her apartment she gets all too comfortable in his; when a patient mistakenly assumes she is the analyst's replacement she ends up rolling with it. The movie isn't the greatest, there is some awkward editing that seems to be the result of scenes missing. There's also the fact that for a romantic comedy the comedy of the film never really soars. Binoche and Hurt do well enough with their characters, but they don't have the sort of magic chemistry that could have made this film really work. Also, perhaps the strangest bit of all, for being the work of such an acclaimed director it seems curiously stripped of nearly all the traits that made Akerman, Akerman. It feels like the kind of forgettable movie you would find flipping through the channels late at night. If it wasn't for the fact that this was an Akerman film and that the stars are very notable as well this would be a completely forgotten film, one of dozens of rom coms that got pumped out by studios in the 90s. Pleasant enough to watch but very forgettable.

I loved this movie, too - though I understand most of what those, who criticized it, said. But what the heck: when I found it in our local video store, a safe 10 years after its first release, I felt lonely, morose and sorry for myself. After the movie, I longed to travel to Paris again, and to the Big Apple, to meet people, cry and shout and make love. Worked for me! Love this movie to bits! I am going to see it again and again - much like "Groundhog Day", also not the most glamorous or most refined of movies, but a feast for the heart of the lonely hunter. Go and treat yourself to some French Fries. Freedom Fries? Not in this movie: it's a result of bilateral, transatlantic love. Actually, just love is enough.

Despite me being a fan of Akermen, I approached the film with apprehension after hearing mostly negative things about it. Surprise surprise that I am very enchanted by this very under-rated film. Probably because most people see it as a strait-laced romantic comedy.Its subtle quirkiness (yes those 2 words can appear together) is what I think make the film stands out. Besides, any films in which I don't find William Hurt nor Juliette Binoche irritating is a miracle in itself.

The basic tension of opposites attract is carried out in an exquisitely delicate manner. A New York psychiatrist exchanges apartments with a woman in Paris. He is orderly tidy controlled. She is - well opposite. He moves into her disheveled apartment complete with bad plumbing, a roof in disrepair and the importunities of her crazed lover. She moves into his and is beset by his patients demanding to be treated. She obliges and with the help of her friend (who has had analysis) learns to say "uh huh" and repeat the last word of the patient's sentences. They get better. His dog is happier. A nice point is he is shown as competent as her lover starts to feel better when talking to him. This is the last straw that drives him back to New York.He can't go back to his apartment, but stops by, sees his patients coming out looking better. Fascinated, he makes an appointment. The relationship unfolds.The cool thing about this movie is it is not forced like so many modern comedies.You realize how strident such recent comedies such as "One Fine Day" and "Fools Rush In" are in comparison.So wonderfully delicate.