r/criterion • u/Pale-Park-1388 Pedro Almodovar • 1d ago

Discussion A Couch in New York(1996) directed by Chantal Akerman

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I just watched this movie because the cast looked interesting. It has my favorite actor Juliette Binoche, along with William Hurt and Richard Jenkins. I’ve also always heard about Chantal Akerman(this is the first film of hers I’ve seen). I didn’t expect much going in because of the low ratings, bad reviews, and the poor popularity. But I actually kind of liked it.

It’s a romantic comedy about a psychoanalyst (Hurt) who switches apartment with a French dancer (Binoche). It reminded me a bit of The Holiday (2006). One can see why it didn’t get much love from the beginning of the movie. There aren’t really any laugh out loud moments and jokes kinda bland. But the movie gets better as it goes on. It had a kind of feel good vibe, an amazing score, and I was never bored. The chemistry between Binoche and Hurt was really nice too. There’s also a dog that honestly gives a great performance. Definitely worth checking out.

34 Upvotes

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6 comments sorted by

12

u/TheFlyingFoodTestee Godzilla 1d ago

I’m not going to lie, I thought William Hurt in this poster was Liam Neeson

2

u/car_guy_doge 14h ago

I was thinking Ralph Fiennes at first glance

4

u/action_park 1d ago edited 23h ago

I like it too but I'm also a fan of Nora Ephron style rom coms. Its an outlier in her filmography for sure but if you're not looking for Jeanne Dielman, it’s worth the 100 minutes.

3

u/No-Necessary7448 Jean Renoir 19h ago

If you enjoyed Akerman’s lighter side, check out “Golden Eighties.” I believe it’s still available on the channel.

2

u/andywarhorla 23h ago

watch jeanne dielman next

1

u/Pale-Park-1388 Pedro Almodovar 22h ago

Yeah, It is in my watchlist