FRENCH KISS
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1995 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 5.9
U.S. Availability: wide release 5/5/95 Running Length: 1:51 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Sexual innuendo, profanity)
Starring: Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline, Timothy Hutton, Jean Reno, Susan Anbeh Director: Lawrence Kasdan Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Meg Ryan, and Kathryn F. Galan Screenplay: Adam Brooks Cinematography: Owen Roizman Music: James Newton Howard Released by Twentieth Century Fox
Another year, another Meg Ryan romantic comedy. In 1994, it was I.Q. In 1993, it was SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE. In 1990, JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO; in 1989, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY. And the thing is, no matter how she wears her hair, she always plays basically the same character--bubbly and energetic yet repressed. That description fits her latest on-screen personae, FRENCH KISS' Kate. But the problem is that having played the type so often, Ryan has gone on auto-pilot. This time around, the effervescence is flat and the likableness is forced. Kate is champagne that has stood out too long.
Not so with the male lead in this Lawrence Kasdan-directed film. Kevin Kline, who won an Oscar as Otto in A FISH CALLED WANDA, brings the same degree of comic aptitude to Luc, a good-hearted scoundrel. With a flair and enthusiasm that everyone else involved with this production seems to lack, Kline very nearly single-handedly saves this film. Almost, but not quite. They say it takes two to tango, and with Meg Ryan's moves so much more mechanical than those of her partner, this pair engages in a decidedly clumsy dance.
The storyline takes the same old romantic comedy formula, bends it a little (but not too much -- Kasdan apparently doesn't want his audience to feel uncomfortable by facing new territory), and adds a few passages of decent dialogue. There is one scene early in the film with Kate and Luc discussing kissing that's noteworthy for its sincerity and intelligence. This isn't Kieslowski or Rohmer, but it's about the deepest one can reasonably expect from this type of motion picture.
As the curtain rises on FRENCH KISS, Kate is engaged to Charlie (played with absolutely no charisma by Timothy Hutton). They're the perfect couple: boring, adoring, and ready to settle down. Then Charlie heads off to Paris, falls madly in love with a French beauty (Susan Anbeh, who looks great but doesn't do much real acting), and calls Kate to cancel the wedding. Distraught and determined to win back her fiance, she overcomes her fear of flying, gets on a plane, and heads off to Europe. Sitting next to her during the flight is Luc, an unkempt Frenchman with a stolen necklace in his pocket and a plan to use Kate to smuggle it through customs. Of course, problems occur, the necklace gets lost, and Luc and Kate fall in love.
Lifeless performances by Ryan and Hutton aside, this movie might have been more endearing had it spent less time on the inane jewelry theft story and more time developing something other than a cliched relationship between the two leads. FRENCH KISS isn't all bad -- it has its share of mild humor, and the scenery in Paris and Cannes is often more photogenic than the actors. However, the delicate air of romance that often makes this sort of film worthwhile is absent. FRENCH KISS does it by the numbers, not from the heart.
- James Berardinelli (jberardinell@delphi.com)
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