Kiss the Girls (1997)

reviewed by
Scott Renshaw


KISS THE GIRLS (Paramount) Starring: Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, Jay O. Sanders, Tony Goldwyn, Bill Nunn. Screenplay: David Klass, based on the novel by James Patterson. Director: Gary Fleder. MPAA Rating: R (profanity, violence, adult themes) Running Time: 115 minutes. Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

I'm thinking of putting together a self-help book which would assist talented performers trying to come to terms with making a terrible film. I'd call it something like "Smart Actors, Foolish Choices," or maybe "Why Bad Movies Happen to Good People." Within its pages would be testemonials and guidance, reminding the readers that they're not alone in making the isolated career blunder. Tom Hanks had his BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES, Anthony Hopkins had his ROAD TO WELLVILLE, Michael Caine had...okay, bad example. For an actor wallowing in "What was I thinking?", the healing could begin.

Of course, my motives wouldn't be entirely altruistic. My research might also help me understand how films like KISS THE GIRLS come to pass. Morgan Freeman, the most talented American actor in films, stars as Alex Cross, a Washington, D.C. forensic psychologist investigatig the abduction of his neice in North Carolina by a serial kidnapper calling himself Casanova. Ashley Judd, the most promising dramatic actress of her generation, plays medical intern Kate McTiernan, who escapes from Casanova and helps Cross with the investigation. Somewhere in this trite, uninspired psycho-thriller, two gifted actors found something worth exploring. I wish I could figure out what that thing was.

It's not just that KISS THE GIRLS trots out the over-used serial predator as its villain, or that it relies on a "surprising" revelation of the villain's identity; both devices can be used effectively, and have been in recent years. KISS THE GIRLS doesn't work because there's no reason to care about who Casanova is, what he does, or what he's going to do. Director Gary Fleder never generates any tension or simmering menace, assuming that murky cinematography will do his work for him. Perhaps he spends so little time on the tone because he has a hard enough time keeping the viewers focused on the basic facts of the plot. Some of his narrative leaps are utterly baffling, sending audience members into a frenzy of muttered "Who's he's" and "Where are they now's."

To be fair to Fleder, his directionless direction matches the directionless script with which he's working. The characters in KISS THE GIRLS are so thinly defined that it never seems to be about anything but plodding along until it's time to unmask Casanova, yet even that major plot point is ineptly handled. Screenwriter David Klass doesn't bother to drop the faintest clue about who Casanova might be, to the extent that he could have been picking a name out of a hat when Casanova finally shows his face. Worse still, Klass doesn't bother to explore the villain's motives. After all, there's something unique about a serial criminal whose primary goal isn't murder. Shouldn't we care _why_?

The only bright spots in KISS THE GIRLS, not surprisingly, are the performances by Freeman and Judd. Freeman brings the weight of years to every role he plays, radiating the wisdom of a man who has seen a lot and learned from every bit of it. Where there is only a body in a suit, Freeman creates a character. Judd has a bit more to work with as a strong woman recovering from the trauma of abduction, and she injects plenty of fear and determination into her scenes. Even then, the script doesn't pull us into Kate's emotions. It's hard to believe there was anything on the page which made these characters -- or this by-the-numbers story -- seem appealing, but Freeman and Judd took them on anyway. Maybe these parts were the best they could find. Maybe they suffered severe brain cramps at critical moments. In either case, they need our support. I feel their pain...I had to _watch_ KISS THE GIRLS.

     On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 killers' kisses:  4.

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