Kiss the Sky

I don't know who the person was who wrote the summary, but he/she did this movie no justice by dismissing it as a couple of guys on a mid life alcohol/drug fueled crisis. My take: I've been in the video biz for 20 years because I love movies--especially those amazing auteur classics Hollywood somehow let slide for so long in the 70s-- and I'm now 48, comfortable, guilty, confused, and feeling totally misunderstood, misjudged, and about to give up. Then I run across "Kiss the Sky", this incredible movie that actually tries to honestly describe the emptiness inherent in being a successful upper middle class (probably white) American Male. How many buddy movies have you seen like "City Slickers" or "Very Bad Things" that almost get that ineffable feeling of loss and despair right only to cop out with lowest common denominator humor or cheap sentiment? "Kiss the Sky", given the times and given the state of the movie industry is the closest we'll ever get. Deftly sidestepping cliches and easy answers, this tale of 2 middle aged guys who are smart enough to know that their material success doesn't mean that much and isn't really their doing anyway goes bravely if imperfectly where no movie that I have ever seen has gone before. ("Leaving Las Vegas" has some resonance but it's ultimately a one man story, not a generational statement.) I don't know where this movie came from or how it got made or who was nuts enough to think it had any commercial viability (it doesn't except if it's hawked as a hard R straight-to-video cheapie, and the person who wants that will be disappointed by this.) Anyway, if I'm speaking to you, watch this movie!

Kiss the Sky is about two buddies Jeff and Marty who decide to go to the Phillipines to escape the wives and recapture the "freedom" of their youth. They end up becoming involved with a young Australian Girl played by Sheryl Lee of Twin Peaks fame. William Peterson plays Jeff, the more confident, outspoken, and dashing one and Marty is played by Gary Cole who is more emotionally shattered, but more into the religion of Buddhism.

Although the movie has some unnecessary sex scenes, it has some smartly written dialogue about the middle aged crisis that some men go through. It also shows kind of in a brutal way of what men want in a relationship and what a woman wants and how hard it is for the two sexes to communicate involving the emotions of the heart.

In their attempt to create their own Utopia, Jeff and Marty discover it is harder to turn to reality, then just holding onto the idea itself.

Terence Stamp gives the best performance playing a witty buddhist monk who gives advice to the two men. Patricia Charbonneau gives a great performance and still looks fantastic to this day.

This movie is definitely not for the whole family and I believe will cause discomfort for some men and women who watch due to honest dialogue of the movie and also because it deals with problems that I think a lot of married couples can relate to.

I do not understand the rating for this one - I rated it an 8.

My guess is that women will not enjoy this movie, not to mention men who only like movies with a lot of action or comedy. This movie is definitely a talk-fest, but if you are interested in philosophy (why am I here?), you should like this one.

Men - I do not recommend watching this with your significant other. If you do, be prepared to say "I would never do that" and "I do not identify with these guys at all", otherwise, many arguments are predicted.

It is too bad this rates only a 5.8 by IMDB users. There is more to this film than the rather low rating. Check out the reviews on this page.

There are some great thought-provoking lines, especially by the Zen Buddhist monk, but also the dialogue between the two men and what happens to their marriages and families. Anyone caught up in the stress of today's modern world (and that is nearly all of us, right?) should watch this movie.

In particular, I recommend that all men watch this. It would be a good film for a men's group or those interested in psychotherapy. You women as well, especially married-career-family women: grab your man and watch and discuss it.

The biggest flaw was that I doubted if two men would REALLY do what they did on that island, with the young blonde and the construction. Too fanciful for me. But the messages in the film WERE reality-based.

The manner that sex was handled was done maturely. It is rated R18 down here in New Zealand, but the sex scenes are mild and not at all pornographic, and the resulting-final ethics are admirable and understandable.

It was refreshing to see a film with unknown actors, that is - without box office mega-stars.

By the way, my wife was half asleep in bed, ill with the 'flu, while I watched this. At first she mumbled that it was a silly B-grade movie, but as it went on she realized that it was actually a worthwhile film with depth.

Jeff (William L. Petersen) and Marty (Gary Cole) are best friends and in a middle age crisis. They spent time remembering their feats in their youths. Jeff is married with Franny (Patricia Charbonneau) and has two daughters. Marty is married with Beth. In their marriages, something is missing or was lost. When they travel to Philippines, they meet Andy (Sheryl Lee), a very different woman, and they both fall in love with her. They have a threesome and decide to leave their families and live together. They are introduced to Kozen (Terence Stamp), a Zen Buddhist monk friend of Andy, and they decide to build a refuge in one isolated beach. After a period together, Jeff misses his family and the relationship of the group deteriorates when Andy falls in love with Jeff. This movie, about uncertainties in the middle age, is very interesting. The story is not corny and I found it pleasant. The character of Jeff, who never finishes anything, always full of doubts, is very human. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): `Paraíso das Ilusões' (`Paradise of the Illusions')