French Kiss is a 1995 American romantic comedy set primarily in France.
Plot
Kate (Meg Ryan) is a fastidious young woman who thinks she knows exactly what her future will be. She plans to marry a Toronto doctor named Charlie (Timothy Hutton) and live happily ever after as soon as he comes back from a business trip to Paris. But her plans get ruined, when her man runs off with a beautiful French seductress named Juliette (Susan Anbeh).
Determined to get him back, Kate overcomes her fear of flying and boards a flight for Paris. Onboard, she is seated next to a Frenchman named Luc Teyssier (Kevin Kline), a crude petty thief whom she is forced to tolerate for the next few hours of the flight. Luc hides a stolen diamond necklace and a small grapevine in her purse to get them past customs. After several mishaps in Paris, Luc finds himself forced to accompany Kate across France to try to get the necklace back, under the pretense of helping her win back Charlie. Unexpected complications occur when the two find themselves developing an unlikely attraction to one another.
Cast
The movie's screen-writer Adam Brooks has a cameo appearance as the 'perfect passenger' sitting next to Kevin Kline's character during the flight.
Production
The lead role of Luc was originally written with the expectation that it would be performed by Gerard Depardieu. Kevin Kline stepped into the role when Depardieu could not be available for the film.[citation needed]
Music
Noted on the film's soundtrack are Paolo Conte's "Via con me", Van Morrison's "Someone Like You", Charles Trenet's "La Mer" performed by Kevin Kline, and "La Vie en Rose" performed by Louis Armstrong. The Beautiful South also did a cover of Dream a Little Dream of Me; Jason Statham was an extra in the video.
Film locations
The film takes place in three locations in France: Paris, Valbonne in the Alpes-Maritimes département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région of southeastern France, and Cannes.
Charlie and Juliette stay at the famous Hotel George V, Paris. It is here Meg Ryan's character has her encounters with the supercilious concierge played by Laurent Spielvogel and it is in the lobby she is robbed by a Parisian pickpocket played by François Cluzet.
Other scenes around Paris include numerous shots of the Eiffel Tower, driving past the Louvre Pyramid, and Meg Ryan's character using a phonebooth near the Arc de Triomphe. There are a number of street scenes shot on the Rive Droite. There is a corner in Montmartre where rue Paul Albert and rue Feutrier meet and Kline's character throws money on the sidewalk and later Ryan's character picks it up.
The last scene in Paris is at the Gare Saint-Lazare train station where Kevin Kline's character is being chased by police inspector Jean-Paul Cardon (Jean Reno) while trying to board a train south to Cannes. One of the 'errors' in the film is that the train to Cannes does not leave from this station but rather from Gare de Lyon. (The trains from Gare Saint-Lazare go north towards Normandy.)
In the small French village of Valbonne (about 15 minutes north of Cannes) Kevin Kline's character gets into a fight with his brother in the main village square in front of the Hotel les Armoiries (a 17th century building). There are also other scenes of the town in the film.
There are scenes of a train station and the vineyards of the small hamlet of La Ravelle which is part of the town of Paulhaguet in the Haute-Loire département in the Auvergne région of south central France.
In Cannes there are outside shots of the Carlton Hotel where the four main characters are staying. There are interior scenes of the lobby and the brasserie used for morning breakfasts. Scenes include the beach in front of the hotel along with the adjacent waterfront - in particular the Cartier boutique on the next corner.
Remakes
The film Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1998) starring Kajol and her husband Ajay Devgan is a remake of French Kiss with a slightly different ending. The Malayalam film Vettom (2004) by Priyadarsan is also an adaptation of French Kiss.
External links
