Deja Vu (1998) 2 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Victoria Foyt, Stephen Dillane and Vanessa Redgrave. Directed by Henry Jaglom.
Deja Vu is like a drawn-out, talk-a-thon with an O'Henry-like twist at the end that makes all that went before it seem worthwhile.
The movie, directed by cult figure Henry Jaglom and written by Jaglom and his wife, Victoria Foyt (who also stars), is a story about love and destiny.
Like many Jaglom films, it has the feel of the actors making up the story as they go along. And, as in most Jaglom movies, there is mostly talk and very little action.
And yet ...
Deja Vu is a movie that requires the upmost patience. You watch for minutes on end, trying to figure where the movie is going, when you get sidetracked by another discussion by another group of characters. But as you listen, you see how that talk ultimately weaves its way into the tapestry of the film as a whole.
Deja Vu is the story of Dana (Foyt), an American businesswoman on a shopping trip in Jerusalem. There she meets a mysterious French woman who shares with Dana a story of lost love revolving around an antique ruby pin. The woman departs, leaving the pin with Dana.
Dana, who is supposed to go to London to meet her fiancé and some friends, changes her schedule and flies to Paris to try to track down the older woman and return the pin.
From there, her search leads her to Dover, where she meets and is drawn to Sean (Stephen Dillane), a stranger who she feels she has already met.
From Dover, Dana travels to the London townhouse of her friends where she meets her fiancé and, coincidentally, Sean and his wife, who are visiting.
Of course, everything works out for the best for everyone, and the mystery of the pin is finally unearthed at the finale.
Deja Vu is a bit pretentious and at times boring, sort of like real life. But it's a movie that makes you concentrate. It's the words, not the actions, that drive this fantasy-romance.
The performances are adequate. The only exceptional turn comes from Vanessa Redgrave, who plays a free-spirit also visiting the townhouse who advises Dana to follow her heart and take chances.
Deja Vu is a rather unconventional, adult movie. It is a leisurely feature that gradually draws you into its convoluted maze, but once inside you really don't want to escape until you discover the inevitable outcome.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at cbloom@iquest.net
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