French Kiss

Don't ever say all writers are hacks. The writer of French Kiss, sitting next to Kline on the plane, has done a job from a perspective most people will not catch, and you have to give him credit for doing it. I am fairly sure both Ryan, Kline, Reno and the rest were aware of what was going on, but I am equally sure this flew totally over the heads of 99% of the US audiences. For this movie, amongst other things, is a sometimes not so subtle and other times very subtle cut-up on US tourists in Europe.

There are so many scenes which have this double entendre - if you get them it's hilarious and heart-warming, if you don't get them, then explaining them will help nothing and serve only to enervate the narrator.

And the puns - I've witnessed people seeing this movie over and over and over and not getting them. After half a dozen viewings they suddenly go 'ah' and get it. This is good screen writing.

Kline's Parisian sounds spot on. Suspicion is he was coached - and excellently - in the unique 'gutter' accent found in the city of light.

This film has everything. It's not your classical 'meets cute' but - where does one begin? Can one ever end?

This mini-review has gone on for several hundred words already and the iteration has not started.

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This movie is sheer unabashed indulgence...indulgence in romantic comedies, in Meg Ryan, in France and a whole lot of other things and people!! I've seen this movie in parts lots of times, never really got to sit and see the whole film at one go. The dialogues are witty enough and the acting credible enough to make anyone want to sit and watch it again! Kevin Kline is superb in the role. For him it was more than just a matter of knowing French and then putting on a French accent. He seems to have undergone a transformation of sorts to really look credible as a French wine-maker cum a very convincing con man! Meg Ryan seemed one the whole more made-up than any other movie I've seen her in. But her expressions were as usual capital, really hilarious! Her reaction after eating too much cheese on the train left me in splits! There she is praising the French for having 452 types of cheese and the next instant she can't even bear the mention of cows! Some of her angst-ridden outbursts against men were totally understandable!

Timothy Hutton is one of those underrated actors who seriously deserves more challenging roles. The only other films I've seen him in are 'Ordinary People'(in which he was really brilliant. Thoroughly deserved his Oscar) and 'Mr. and Mrs. Loving'(in which her did a good turn as a Southerner in the 1950s-60s who gets married to a black woman against the law in South). He's a treat to watch in 'French Kiss' as the basically confused, prone-to-chauvinism Charlie! It would be an understatement to say that I liked the locales. France is one THE most beautiful countries and I'm glad they didn't restrict the location to Paris. I enjoyed more the part in Luc's village, complete with Ryan's witty sarcasm: "Fester, Fester, Rot, Rot. Poor you, you live over here"! This movie is not for the wine buffs('A Walk in the Clouds' with its mixture of wine and romance is recommended). It's for those who like romantic comedies and France! C'est irresistible!

Oh, and the song 'Dream A Little Dream' in French is one more sure selling point!

To begin with, Meg Ryan's fear of flying and the procedures she goes through to deal with it are cute. And the relationship with Meg and Timothy Hutton is entirely believable.

Once she is on the plane, going to Paris, Kevin Kline appears and introduces himself and distracts her from the takeoff. Kevin Kline really proves himself in this movie, or at least shows how good he is at accents. I was a French major in college and have been to Paris and seen much of France. His mannerisms are right on.

The things that happen once they are in Paris are 1) funny and 2) move the story along. The train trip that they have to take is another enjoyable section. And Meg learns that she really likes the cheese!

Once she sees the vineyard and begins to learn more about Kevin Kline's character, the story gets under way nicely. All in all, it's a very enjoyable time.

I love this film. The scene in which Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline first hop in the stolen car in Paris tickles me every time. While she is berating him for involving her in his (mis)adventures, she turns to look at him and misses what would be a wonderful tour of Paris as all the major landmarks of Paris go by on the passenger side of the car. Love the director's sense of humor. As for Kline's French accent, I have studied in France and have a good ear (if I do say so myself), and was very impressed with Kline's regional accent ("way", for example, rather than "we" for 'oui'). As for it being a pat romantic comedy, well, of course - suppose it had been Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, would anybody have complained?

A truly funny piece. It's the one we get out of our collection when we just want to sit down and watch something familiar, funny and just NICE.

Meg Ryan reveals herself as a true comedienne and Kevin Kline is the funniest Frenchman you ever loved to hate. So what if we know exactly what's going to happen? That's the way with romantic comedies, as it is with most 'genre' movies. Even after having seen it at least a dozen times, we still laugh when Ryan sneaks up on her absconded fiancee and his new girlfriend and in the process causes major havoc in a posh French cafe; or when Kevin Kline tells her how the uptight nature of the Americans makes his 'ass twitch'.