There are romantic comedies and romantic comedies. Some fall into the trap of being overly sentimental - thus, people who don't have a natural affinity for romantic comedies would not enjoy them. French Kiss definitely doesn't fall into this category, so if slushiness puts you off, you'll still like this. (Even my sister would like it! :-P)

The plot basically revolves around an aerophobic (is that the correct word for those with a fear of flying?) American - soon to be Canadian woman (Meg Ryan, playing a rather more feisty character than I've usually seen her play) actually facing her fear of flying to go over and reclaim her fiance, who has fallen for another woman while on a trip there. On the way she meets a Frenchman (played pretty convincingly by Kevin Kline - you'd never guess it was him), and they strike up an unlikely (and for the most part unwilling) partnership. No surprises here, she ends up falling in love with him - but there are plenty of twists and turns along the way.

From the very first scene - where Ryan is in a "conquer your fear of flying" school - you know you're in for a ride with plenty of belly laughs. There are many memorable moments in the film, perhaps most notably the plane taking off (where Kline, by means of all sorts of deeply personal insults, makes her forget that she's on an aeroplane taking off and terrified of it), the "all men are bastards" scene, where every man in close proximity of her is tarred very loudly with the same brush, and the scene at the American and Canadian embassies, where she tries to get a new passport (with, predictably, very little success). All of that actually made it sound as if it was a rather crude film - this is not the case, and all of the above scenes, and indeed the whole film, are carried off with a high level of sophistication.

In comparison with other romantic comedies, this film stands up very well against others. It is weighted far more in favour of comedy than romance, of which there is surprisingly little. The DVD version contains very little in the way of extra features, though for me this is not a problem as I rarely tend to watch the extra features anyway. Does this mean that it represents less value for money than a DVD with more features? I think not. This is a film I will watch several times, which makes it better VFM than a film with extra features that I'll only watch once, if at all.

All in all, there is only one type of person who will enjoy this film. That type of person is one with a sense of humour, so if that describes you, then go out and buy this film! I'm sure you won't regret it.


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This film got an Honourable Mention in my - Top Ten Romantic Comedies List




Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older