Movie: Two Tickets to Greece

What could possibly go wrong when two school friends who haven’t seen each other for 30 years go on a road-trip to the Greek Islands?

In Two Tickets to Greece – plenty!

Not only do the two women in this French film have totally different personalities there are also historical issues to deal with.

Blandine (Olivia Côte) and Magalie (Laure Calamy) fell out at school and then lost touch when Magalie moved away. The two reunite when Blandine’s son Benjamin (Alexandre Desrousseaux) arranges for them to meet over dinner. Benjamin is worried about his mother who is depressed as a result of her divorce and her ex-husband’s impending marriage to his new pregnant young partner.

The first reunion between the two women doesn’t go well for Blandine at least. Organised, reserved and conservative, Blandine is appalled by Magalie’s uninhibited, freeloading lifestyle which includes keeping the tag on the expensive shirt she is wearing so she can return it.

Instead of telling Benjamin her true thoughts about Magalie after this dinner Blandine tells him she had a great time.  So when Benjamin has to pull out of a trip to Greece Blandine has been meticulously planning for the both of them he thinks he is doing the right thing by asking Magalie to take his place.

Needless to say Blandine is not happy but Magalie is thrilled as the trip includes a stay in a luxurious hotel on the island of Amorgos, where she and Magalie dreamed as school girls of visiting together, inspired by Luc Besson’s movie The Big Blue.

Two Tickets to Greece then follows the many misadventures the two experience on the journey, mostly caused by Magalie’s scheming plans to save money and her desire for fun and excitement.

As a result of Magalie’s actions the pair end up on the semi-deserted island of Keros – a long way from Amorgos.  Their experiences on the island show just how different they have become.

Nothing seems to worry the uninhibited Magalie while just about everything about their unexpected adventures concerns Blandine.

As a result of one of their unexpected stops on the island of Mykonos the pair come across Bijou (Kristin Scott Thomas) an old friend of Magalie.

Bijou welcomes them into the beautiful home she shares with Greek artist Dimitris (Panos Koronis). Like Magali, Bijou is lacking any inhibitions and believes life should be lived to the fullest.

Through interactions between the three we gradually learn the reason for the original fall out between Magalie and Blandine and gain a greater understanding of the reasons for Magalie’s behaviour. We also learn the reasons for Bijou’s actions and beliefs. These interactions result in a change in Blandine’s outlook on life.

While Two Tickets to Greece is described as a comedy, the issues all three face ensure it’s also got a dramatic bent. Credit for this must go to the three leads for effectively portraying their characters’ personalities which range from the comic to sad and, in Magalie’s case, sometimes very annoying!

Watching the three in action is a highlight of Two Tickets to Greece. The scenery is another thanks to writer/director Marc Fitoussi’s choice of beautiful Greek locations for the film.

Two Tickets to Greece opens in cinemas on December 26.