FRENCH KISS. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan; written by Adam Brooks; produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Meg Ryan and Kathryn F. Galan for Twentieth-Century Fox. Starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. Rated PG-13.
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In movies, as in life, we most treasure experiences that are more than just the sum of their parts. Quel dommage! that French Kiss turns out to be less than the sum of its quite impressive individual parts.
After all, these parts include Ryan, a most appealing screen presence; Kline, one of the most versatile and, when he wants to be, charming, actors working today; and director Kasdan, who, in spite of some recent flops (Wyatt Earp springs immediately to mind) has made some really good movies (The Big Chill and Body Heat, for example).
But, in spite of all this, PLUS gorgeous French scenery, an intriguingly screwball storyline, and a smattering of entertaining scenes, French Kiss is ultimately disappointing.
The story begins in Toronto, where Kate (Ryan) and her fiance Charlie (Timothy Hutton) seem to be headed for a lifetime of domestic bliss. But Charlie has to go to Paris on business and Kate's hysterical fear of flying keeps her at home.
In the movie's hardest-to-swallow plot point, Charlie dumps Kate soon after touching French soil and meeting a "goddess" (Susan Anbeh). I mean, no matter how gorgeous the French siren may be, can any American male really believe that one of their own would willingly cast off the eminently adorable Meg Ryan? (Technically, Charlie is Canadian, but still ... come on!)
Once you get past this logical hurdle, the story goes down fairly well, in spite of twists and turns all along the way. Kate overcomes her fear of flying and goes to Paris to win Charlie back, meeting the mysterious but charming Luc (Kline) on the crossing. It's only a matter of time, of course, before Kate will decide that Luc is really the man of her dreams, not Charlie. In spite of the fact that Luc turns out to be a jewel thief, among other things.
Ryan is a long-time favorite of mine. She's always pretty and energetic, and usually manages at least to suggest an intelligence at odds with her superficially "dumb blonde" characters. And she's just as perky as ever here. She does seem to overplay her cutsier quirks at times, though, and her more serious moments aren't as convincing as usual. It could just be that I'm tiring of her shtick just a bit.
In spite of an accent that should irritate, but amuses instead, Kline is in fine form here. He's great at playing con men, and shows his versatility by giving Luc just the right amount of vulnerability at just the right time.
Kate and Luc are individually as interesting and entertaining as you would expect them to be (or at least almost). But a romantic comedy like this needs real spark between the not-quite-but-eventually lovers and, with the exception of a few scenes, Ryan and Kline just don't connect the way they should.
The parts are okay, but the sum is somewhat less than we might have hoped.
May 24, 1995