French Kiss (1995)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Lawrence Kasdan

Writer (WGA):

Adam Brooks (written by)

Release Date:

5 May 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Kate's stuck in a place where anything can happen with a guy who'll make sure that it does

Plot:

A woman flies to France to confront her straying fiancé, but gets into trouble when the charming crook seated next to her uses her for smuggling.

Plot Keywords:

Fear Of Flying | Cannes | France | Canada | Thief

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Meg Ryan	...	Kate
Kevin Kline	...	Luc Teyssier
Timothy Hutton	...	Charlie
Jean Reno	...	Inspector Jean-Paul Cardon
François Cluzet	...	Bob
Suzan Anbeh	...	Juliette
Renée Humphrey	...	Lilly
Michael Riley	...	M. Campbell
Laurent Spielvogel	...	Concierge
Victor Garrivier	...	Octave
Elisabeth Commelin	...	Claire (as Elizabeth Commelin)
Julie Leibowitch	...	Olivia
Miquel Brown	...	Sgt. Patton
Louise Deschamps	...	Jean-Paul's Girl
Olivier Curdy	...	Jean-Paul's Boy

Also Known As:

Paris Match

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality, language and drug references.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #33776) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | UK:12 (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Germany:6 (bw) | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7

Filming Locations:

American Embassy - 2 Avenue Gabriel, Paris 8, Paris, France

Company:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

Cameo: [Adam Brooks]The writer has a brief role as "Perfect Passenger" (the guy who is taking his shoes off when Kate first gets on the plane to Paris).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Luc wakes up on the train to find Kate missing, the scenery is moving past at different speeds on wither side of the train.

Quotes:

Kate: [about Charlie] We were happy. I've never been so happy.
Luc: When people tell me they are happy, my ass begins to twitch.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Best! Movies! Ever!: Hotels (#1.10)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

I Love Paris

Cute film

A Francophile will probably like this film. I did. Meg Ryan plays a woman who's on the verge of marrying a Canadian, so she's denounced her American citizenship. She's also afraid of flying so she stays home while her fiance goes to Paris on business. Things take a turn for the worse when he calls, saying he's met the woman of his dreams and he's staying in France.

Frantic to get back her man, she boards a plane. Next to her sits a French thief, beautifully played by Kevin Kline, who has problems of his own, most notably how to smuggle a diamond necklace out of the country.

It's a character-driven plot that Cary Grant would have loved - two people who are seemingly so "repelled" by each other but all they need are the right elements to fall in love. I'm generally not a fan of the romantic-comedy, but the French setting sucked me in as did a supporting role played by the always excellent Jean Reno.

As for the authenticity of Kline's accent, I had a good friend from France who claimed it was "formidable." So there.

Very entertaining and worth a watch.

Want more French choices? Try "Frantic" with Harrison Ford, it's Hitchcockian; "Green Card," who can resist Depardieu?; and my all-time favorite Meg Ryan film "Addicted to Love." It's a great black comedy and it has the sizzlingly sexy Tcheky Karyo. "C'est magnifique!"