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

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 (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Largo Entertainment

Trivia:

Production Designer Charles Breen plays Jay's literary agent at his book signing.

Quotes:

Max Abbitt: I'm not gonna depress myself, and sit in my room all night listening to Barry Manilow records.
Jay Murphy: Hey, that was a radio special!

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

At Last

terribly underrated

This was a sweetheart of a movie. From a technical point of view, the photography was just right for the moments. If anyone has ever dismissed David Schwimmer as a pouty, whiny lout (such the characters from "FRIENDS" and "The Pallbearer"), take a good look at his Max in this and you'll see the complete opposite. Max is a vulgar, arrogant, misogynistic , bitter ass. His fellow player, Jason Lee, plays a pouty, whiny lout (as opposed to the vulgar, arrogant, misogynistic, bitter roles he was made famous by, in Brodie Bruce and Banky Edwards) who, as probably already told to you here on IMDb, is lorn of his slutty model girlfriend. Max has fallen for Sam, his attractive young publisher who he feels is too good to be true. So, he asks his best friend Jay (Lee) to see if Sam will hit on him, thus figuring out if she is the one. This test of course, is a thin veiled attempt to breach the contract called commitment, which blah blah blah, the story ends rather nicely. Not really what you expect. The flaw of this film is the forced conflicts presented, the rushed and implausible sequences that appear all too soon, and the unnecessary characters.

BUT I URGE YOU ALL READING THIS: GO RENT KISSING A FOOL! It, despite a few cons, is the kind of romantic comedy you hope for when you stand in line for "You've Got Mail" and get crap. Quirky, metropolitan, pampered, and concise, this flick will hit the spot, man.