FRENCH KISS
A film review by Eric Grossman
Copyright 1995 LOS ANGELES INDEPENDENT
Lawrence Kasdan's FRENCH KISS starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline is a charming romantic comedy that also doubles as a travelogue for France.
Ryan plays Kate, an obsessive-compulsive, lactose-intolerant woman who is so terrified of flying, she won't even accompany her doctor-fiance, Charlie (Timothy Hutton), with whom she is madly in love, to Paris. "I get around the way God intended, a car" she says. Charlie, who has a medical meeting, goes on by himself and then Kate's worst nightmare happens, Charlie falls in love with a French beauty named Juliette (Susan Anbeh). Kate's phobia of flying is overwhelmed by her fear of losing the man she loves and she journey's to France to get him back.
On the flight over, she meets Luc (Kevin Kline), a French thief who feigns interest in helping her so that he can use her to smuggle a valuable necklace into the country. As Luc struggles to retrieve his stolen property from Kate's bag, he begins to sympathize with her plight and eventually, begins to fall in love with her himself. At the same time, Kate is falling for Luc and ultimately must decide which man she really loves.
FRENCH KISS is somewhat of a comeback for Kasdan whose last film, WYATT EARP, starring Kevin Costner, was a certified bomb. Although he is a great writer and responsible for some of the most successful screenplays of all time (THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, THE BODYGUARD), Kasdan as a director (BODY HEAT, THE BIG CHILL) has obtained many critical kudos but only a few hits at the box office. However, with the help of Adam Brooks' screenplay, Kasdan is back on track with this film.
A French person's worst nightmare, Ryan's Kate can be a real whiner. Despite this, the sweetness that caused audiences to fall in love with her in TOP GUN and that made her a huge star in WHEN HARRY MET SALLY is still there. Kline, a superb actor with an equal gift for drama and comedy (GRAND CANYON, A FISH CALLED WANDA) plays his Frenchman with a delicate balance of humor, sleaziness, and warmth. Most importantly, Ryan and Kline have chemistry.
Hutton is fine as the not-so-nice-guy, Charlie, but the scene-stealer is Jean Reno (LA FEMME NIKITA, THE PROFESSIONAL). He plays Jean-Paul, a French policeman who is both Luc's friend and pursuer. Reno has a wonderful face the overflows with character and without a doubt, he has the finest accent in the film, mostly because it's real!
FRENCH KISS is a light, "feel-good" romp that slowly pins a smile to your face. Effective music and beautiful scenery are an added bonus.
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