'Two Tickets to Greece' Review
Two former middle school besties who haven’t seen each other in nearly 30-years reconnect and end-up going on holiday together in the new French dramedy “Two Tickets to Greece”. Writer/director Marc Fitoussi’s film is intentionally set in those glorious pre-pandemic days of 2019 (there are a couple not so subtle nods to what’s to come). He re-teams Olivia Cote and Laure Calamy, stars of the acclaimed, “My Donkey, My Lover and I”. They play two of the most interesting movie characters of the year.
Cote’s Blandine and Calamy’s Magalie are polar opposites. Blandine, who’s been separated from her husband for two years and has a 20-year-old son, is uptight, reserved and holds onto old grudges. Magalie, a freelance music journalist, is incredibly free-spirited. She has no filter, making for spontaneous and outrageous moments. They meet over dinner in one of 2023’s best scenes. It’s fascinating to observe them observing each other after three decades apart.
The two embark on a trip to Greece, getting sidetracked more than once in their effort to reach their destination of Amorgos. The personalities of the two women continue to pop and conflict. Their interactions are, at times, quite funny — at other times, quite troubling. The strength of “Two Tickets to Greece” are these moments, along with what Fitoussi’s screenplay has to say about the mistake of not letting go of the past and how difficult it is to repair a friendship.
Eventually Blandine and Magalie meet-up with with Bijou (played with gusto by Kristin Scott Thomas). She’s an old school free-spirit, being forced, maybe for the first time, to face real life problems. This helps put the silly animosity preventing the once inseparable friends from reuniting, in perspective.
At times “Two Tickets to Greece” goes a bit too over the top (particularly some of Magalie’s antics), but, overall, this is a pretty enjoyable getaway with a lot to say. Can’t beat the views, either.
