Ebert awarded three and a half stars, praising dialogue and preferring this older, higher-stakes reunion to the original.
Ebert imagined revisiting Jesse and Celine every decade as an ongoing life project, compared with the Seven Up series.

Minor bestseller’s tour; revealing novel idea; compressed walk; red-shirt extra

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 00:58:43Read transcript

A minor bestseller seems unlikely to justify ten European cities in twelve days and more reporters than fans; possible French popularity is a counterargument.
Revealing a novel idea in detail to strangers risks someone stealing it and seems contrary to how an author would protect a new project.
The supposed short walk to the cafe actually takes roughly forty-five minutes.
A red-shirted extra’s interrupted walk across changed camera angles is a continuity error.

No choices

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:13:16Read transcript

Length of stay; screenplay contributions; Philippe; song choices; BookTok; Paris stop; finding the book; condoms

In the discussion (10)

Approx. transcript time · 01:14:00Read transcript

Whether Philippe understands Jesse and gets paid regardless of reaching the airport is unclear; an assassination consequence and bedroom interruption are invented jokes.
How long Jesse stays is unresolved: a day or two, many days of sex under a book-tour excuse, or the start of a longer illicit affair are competing possibilities.
Whether Hawke wrote the lines flattering Jesse’s sexual impact is raised jokingly, without an answer.
Philippe’s understanding, patience, duty to get Jesse to the airport and refusal to stop when Celine requests it remain open questions.
The cat song’s content is unknown; Celine may have offered deliberately weak alternatives so Jesse would select the waltz, or planned to sing it regardless.
Jesse’s hypothetical success on BookTok is disputed, with age and possible creepiness opposed to his fit for romance readers.
Whether Jesse insisted on Paris as the final tour stop is debated; putting Paris first might have let Celine join the rest of the tour.
Celine probably would not have sought him out without the Paris appearance, despite already reading the book; others wonder if she secretly tracked him more closely.
Discovering the book, contacting the publisher and knowing Jesse’s surname remain unresolved routes to reconnecting.
The condom question is corrected by Jesse remembering the brand in the film; subsequent wallet and cheap-vending-machine theories are speculation.

New York; Boston briefly suggested

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:14:09Read transcript

Boston is briefly suggested, but a New York reunion—possibly on Jesse’s wedding day—is more enticing.
New York would establish the couple together in America and enrich the later choice of continent, though Paris suits her homecoming.

Four-location plan; Paris geography; heat; Delpy’s parents; album date; band shirt; last-minute ending revisions

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:15:29Read transcript

A proposed larger-budget version with four locations reportedly lacked financing; scaling back is considered fortunate.
Paris locations include Shakespeare and Company, the cafe and elevated park; the cafe is reportedly a forty-five-minute walk from the bookstore, revealing compressed geography.
Filming reportedly occurred in extreme summer heat, and the courtyard couple were Delpy’s parents.
A review of Jesse’s book is visible in Celine’s apartment; the Nina Simone recording date is reported as June 16,1968.
The passing jogger wears a Horace Pinker band shirt; the apartment ending was reportedly still being written at 3 a.m. the night before filming.

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:38:32Read transcript

Before Sunrise is the selected pairing; Before Midnight is mentioned as an alternative question and rejected in favor of the first film.

Both films loved; relationship differences praised; characters seem older than modern thirtysomethings

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 01:39:21Read transcript

The invited producer had watched both films for the first time on a plane, a setting the others consider appropriate.
The first film is mesmerizing, especially its early-twenties dialogue and a compatible couple who do not agree on everything.
The optimistic ending is loved, though Jesse’s initial smugness makes Celine’s attraction puzzling; their differences gradually soften them.
Celine must be French; the Jennifer Connelly recast would not work for this viewer.
Fear that a delayed sequel would spoil the original gives way to delight at the reversed perspectives and gradual renewed connection.
Both films are called perfect, but these characters feel unusually weathered at 32 compared with contemporary thirty-year-olds who reach family milestones later.
The extra eighty minutes are suspenseful and completely captivating; the reviewer declines to watch the third film yet.

Mentions across The Rewatchables

Double Feature

The Rewatchables · aired January 28, 2025

Approx. transcript time · 01:41:53Read transcript