I'd never seen Binoche really act before. In "Blue" and "English Patient", all she needed was to do her photogenic pose. The camera and director took care of the rest. They created the illusion of depth of emotion from one static expression she knew very well to display. I admit that that "Binoche look" is enchanting. Hers is a very attractive face. But calling what she does in these movies acting seems to me an insult to the actresses who know their trade really well, like Emma Thompson. In "Couch" she is required to more than looking pretty. She actually talks and show emotions. And the effect is so amateurish, the personality she plays is so phony, it disrupts the pace and the harmony of the movie. With the basic material, which is right for a light comedy, and with another actress, e.g. Julia Roberts, this movie could have been charming. With Emma Thompson, it could have been memorable. With Binoche, the movie did not live up to its potential.
Review of A Couch in New York
