Kissing a Fool (1998)

Director:

Doug Ellin

Writers (WGA):

James Frey (story)
James Frey (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

27 February 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

There are three sides to every love story.

Plot:

Max is a popular local sports broadcaster and his marriage with attractive Sam is already set up. Max...

Plot Keywords:

Dominatrix | Chicago Illinois | Beautiful Woman

Cast

David Schwimmer	...	Max Abbitt
Jason Lee	...	Jay Murphy
Mili Avital	...	Samantha Andrews
Bonnie Hunt	...	Linda Streicher
Vanessa Angel	...	Natasha
Kari Wuhrer	...	Dara
Frank Medrano	...	Cliff Randal
Bitty Schram	...	Vicki Pelam
Judy Greer	...	Andrea
Ron Beattie	...	Priest
Doug Ellin	...	Bartender / Springer Guest
Tag Mendillo	...	Wedding Guest at Bar / Springer Guest
Justine Bentley	...	Beautiful Woman at Bar
Liza Cruzat	...	Dara's Friend #1
Jessica Mills	...	Dara's Friend #2

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language.

Runtime:

USA:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Iceland:L | USA:R (certificate #35766) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Largo Entertainment

Trivia:

The band featured in some of the scenes shot at the Green Mill is known as the Mighty Blue Kings.

Quotes:

[on Jay putting an end to Max's hedonistic lifestyle]
Jay Murphy: I mean, Max, you don't wanna become that fourty-year-old guy who's still out at the clubs with the silk shirt and gold chains trying to pick up on college girls, do you?
Max Abbitt: Of course not, Jay... at forty, I wanna be the bald guy with a pony-tail and a Harley trying to pick up High School girls.
Jay Murphy: You're an idiot.
Max Abbitt: Yet you're the one in therapy.
Jay Murphy: You're the one who SHOULD be.
Max Abbitt: Maybe you can get me in! I've always wanted to pay a hundred bucks an hour to talk myself out of being happy.

Movie Connections:

References "The $64,000 Question" (1955)

Soundtrack:

At Last

Don't be fooled....this is a fun film

Max (David Schwimmer) and Jay (Jason Lee) have been best friends since childhood. Adults now, Max is a Chicago sportscaster while Jay is an aspiring writer. Out of admiration for his editor, Samantha (Mili Avital), Jay gets the brilliant idea of fixing Max up with Samantha. (Jay is suffering from the breakup of a recent relationship and professes not to be interested in Samantha himself). Things start off well. Max and Samantha are so taken with each other that they move in together and become engaged. Yet, Max gets cold feet and asks Jay for an unbelievable favor. Can Jay please try to seduce Samantha so that Max will know if she'll be faithful to him or not?

This lesser-known romantic comedy is charming and amusing. The three leads give good performances and the script, while a little salty at times, is fun. The scenes in and around Chicago are sure to please Midwesterners. While the ending is somewhat of a surprise, it is satisfying nonetheless. Fans of Schwimmer and Lee will be glad they took a chance on this film. Recommended also for those searching for a good evening of entertainment when the "hot" items are all checked out at the video store or library.