This is one rom-com that Hollywood should remake immediately for a few good reasons. It fuses a clever plot with a thoroughly entertaining premise that will do well at the box office (the original film has already made a killing back in its home country). But unlike predictable Hollywood offerings, Second Chance is imaginative, cutesy without being cloying and spiffily-paced too at just 85 minutes.
The premise: Julien (Francois-Xavier Demaison) is a successful marriage consultant who seems to be running out of luck with women. He is the male equivalent of a black cat, with all his former girlfriends getting themselves into various accidents after they begin dating (shown via hilarious if formulaic flashback sequences), which set the tone for the rest of the film.
When he meets the girl of his dreams, sassy, funny blonde Joanna (Virginie Efira), Julien is torn if he should pursue her for fear of putting Joanna’s life at risk. They date anyway, but the initially perky Joanna soon realizes that Julien is indeed bringing her bad luck after getting involved in a series of mishaps that will cost her a dream project at work (including a nicely orchestrated sequence at a water fountain. This being a rom-com, Joanna soon realizes that Julien’s misgivings are actually twisted blessings in disguise.
Apart from some nicely orchestrated comedy sequences, the cast also lives up to the film’s spunky spirit. Newcomer Efira eases into the role of an open-minded career girl with a wonderful sense of humor, while the very average-looking Demaison (sort of like a French version of Paul Giamatti) is perfect as the boyfriend from hell with his self-deprecating qualities that make him utterly sympathetic.
Although we could do without with the overly-sprightly musical score and cutesy montages of photographs (last seen in the Audrey Tautou vehicle Delicacy), as far as rom-coms go, Second Chance is about as good as it gets.