French Kiss

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.

A Francophile will probably like this film. I did. Meg Ryan plays a woman who's on the verge of marrying a Canadian, so she's denounced her American citizenship. She's also afraid of flying so she stays home while her fiance goes to Paris on business. Things take a turn for the worse when he calls, saying he's met the woman of his dreams and he's staying in France.

Frantic to get back her man, she boards a plane. Next to her sits a French thief, beautifully played by Kevin Kline, who has problems of his own, most notably how to smuggle a diamond necklace out of the country.

It's a character-driven plot that Cary Grant would have loved - two people who are seemingly so "repelled" by each other but all they need are the right elements to fall in love. I'm generally not a fan of the romantic-comedy, but the French setting sucked me in as did a supporting role played by the always excellent Jean Reno.

As for the authenticity of Kline's accent, I had a good friend from France who claimed it was "formidable." So there.

Very entertaining and worth a watch.

Want more French choices? Try "Frantic" with Harrison Ford, it's Hitchcockian; "Green Card," who can resist Depardieu?; and my all-time favorite Meg Ryan film "Addicted to Love." It's a great black comedy and it has the sizzlingly sexy Tcheky Karyo. "C'est magnifique!"

This is an excellent film. I have seen it several times since it's release and never tire of it. Other than the adult theme it would have been suitable for family viewing. Well casted, and a good mix of both romance and comedy. The casual observer may not catch the best part of the movie, it's soundtrack. Kevin Kline does an outstanding vocal rendition of La Mer. Cole Porter, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Van Morrison, and others.. How could one ignore this gem?

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'.

What's wrong with Kevin Kline's accent? My mother's family are from France and they talk like that...sort of. Well, who cares? This is a fun, fun film and I enjoyed it from title to credits. Meg Ryan in her low key but hyper way (now, if that seems like an oxymoron, watch her performance) is wonderful. BTW, I've set next to her character on an International flight... The story is great. Kline's character is lots of fun and Meg Ryan just melts you. Jean Reno is wonderful as the cop who helps Kline redeem his soul. Also, good work by Timothy Hutton and others. This is a fun film and I'm at a loss as to why the critics slammed Kevin Kline's accent... I found it believable because there are many French accents, depending on the region of origin and Kline is a good-- non, très, très bon acteur.