The concept of serendipity has been done to death in movies and while its always pleasant to see some chance encounter take place its never good to have a whole film be about it and while Love is in the Air is entertaining enough it begins to wear a bit thin by the end when the surprise has left you and all thats left in front of you is the characters, as obnoxious as they are.
Love is in the Air follows Antoine (Nicolas Bedos), a womanizing lawyer who lives in New York City and Julie (Ludivine Sagnier), his ex girlfriend. When Antoine must return to France for a job interview he finds himself sat next to Julie on his flight home as they try to avoid talking after a very awkward breakup. However the flight is long and the two are just itching for a fight making this one very interesting flight to be stuck on.
While the premise is decidedly French, the characters are not typical French rom com cliches. In fact, the film excels in presenting the worst sides of peoples personalities while trying to pass it off as charming or empowering. Not only is Antoine a misogynist but he is also decidedly boring for a man who praises himself on his charm and charisma. Then again, Julie isn’t much better. When she isn’t thinking she is superior to Antoine and most other men she is praising her lifestyle despite the fact she is a pregnant woman flirting with her ex boyfriend while her partner waits for her in France.
The film has some clever writing but it never presents its characters as people worth caring about so the overall outcome of the film never really feels important. Julie and Antoine may be perfect for each other but if they were in the real world they might just die alone.