L'histoire du garçon qui voulait qu'on l'embrasse (1994) User Reviews

Melancholic beauty

[Jaccaleaut · 19 February 2004]

Well, the movie title says it all. It's about a rather introvert boy named Raoul who is looking for a woman to love. He tries to find her on parties, or in everyday situations, or by calling girls he met long ago, just to mention a few attempts. His success varies, but is generally limited.

The story starts at no particular point in the life of Raoul, and it might continue like this beyond the end of the movie. Somehow watching this movie is like watching the flow of a river: There is no climax and no anticlimax, and no exciting events - a pleasant difference from common sad love stories. However, since many people are used to such kind of movie I suppose that they will find this story very boring. To these people, the movie is not recommended.

The actors are convincing, and Julien Collet is just brilliant. He might be just the boy next door who is trying hard to find a girlfriend. The director did a good job as well; there are no technical or stylistic flaws. Overall, it's really a sound melancholic, romantic drama.

amazing

[laparidis-stavros-1 · 10/10 · 14 June 2005]

I think it is an excellent movie and I felt so moved to see a film like this. I found all extraordinary, both the main plot and the cast. It is about a young man, 20 years old, who is studying Art history in Paris but he does not get into this so much, as he tries to find a girl friend at the same time. The only problem is that he can not find any despite his good appearance and he can not work out what is wrong with himself. He is invited to parties with other young persons at the same age, but nothing can change his situation. He follows other pairs, he sleeps outside while being depressed but he still can not do anything in order to stop being single. He is a good-looking man, but he does not know simply how it gets, when you want to start a relationship. He makes faults continuously, but he does not give up. Finally, he manages to have sex with a prostitute and then he starts to feel something for her, but one day while he is walking on street, accidentally, he observes her to be met by another guy who kisses her... I think it is a very touching movie which can relate to any young man who tries to make a beginning in such things. The main actor is a sympathetic French actor, named Julien Collet, who plays his role very convincing. It is a romantic drama about love and feelings again, but something new and not the common love story. It is about the desperate tries of a young man how wants to have a girl friend and he makes anything possible to reach his goal. The only thing I do not find so ideal is the fact that Raoul ends up in his misery again (or it is so supposed, because then the movie ends), as he must discover that he is given away by the prostitute. In my view, it could be a more optimistic end, or in any case not a pessimistic one. The end is not so successful because the viewer expects that the tries of Raoul will be profitable for him at the end, as he has not any negative points but only he does not know how to begin. He does not deserve such a result. Acting is the best I have ever seen and there are some very special moments, too. For example, you can see Raoul look women in the subway, follow pairs on the way in Paris, be thinking of being sexy or how he rehearses to smile in front of a mirror in order to become more accessible, because he is very serious and distanced. He even attempts to force his female colleagues to be kissed, as he can not bear not being kissed by female lips.