Shall We Kiss? (2007)

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The 2007 French movie (Un baiser s'il vous plaît)is light summer fare, more rom than com, more sweet amusement that LOL, "more quirky than wacky," as reviewer Roger Moore said in the Orlando Sentinel. A Parisienne (the delectable Julie Gayet) stranded on the empty streets of Nantes with no taxis in sight accepts a ride to her hotel from a stranger (Michaël Cohen), the ride leads to dinner together and obvious attraction, and that leads to his request for a goodnight kiss, "a kiss without consequences," as they are both involved with other people. She says no and is persuaded (in fact this entire movie is filled with effectively clever persuasion) to tell him the story that she says would explain her refusal. That story becomes the majority of the movie, which Stephen Rea in the Philadelphia Inquirer, calls "impossibly French." Kisses can be very powerful, at least they are to the couple she describes, played charmingly by Virginie Ledoyen and Emmanuel Mouret, who also wrote and directed the film. They have been best friends for years and he, in a funk over his lack of physical connection with anyone, persuades her—a married woman—to kiss him. And, while the premise may be a little unrealistic, it's lighthearted fun, delivered smoothly.

"Shall We Kiss?" is a pretty good little film--mostly because the story is very unique. It begins when Gabriel and Emilie meet. They spend a happy evening together and as they are about to part, Gabriel is about to kiss Emilie. However, she stops him--saying that even an innocent kiss COULD lead to unanticipated consequences. She then goes on to tell him a story about two people she knows of--Judith and Nicholas. It seems that both were lifelong friends and Judith was in a relationship with Claudio. However, after Nicholas breaks up with his girl, he's depressed and full of repressed sexual needs. To relieve this, he suggests, quite haltingly, to Judith that she sleep with him--as friends. However, starting with a little kiss, the two slowly fall in love and then they are stuck--Nicholas is now with a nice lady and Claudio is also a nice person. While Judith and Nicholas WANT to be together, they can't let themselves hurt their partners. Where this all goes next is something you'll need to see for yourself.While the film is a bit unsavory for its elements of adultery, it is handled in a delicate and occasionally funny manner. The overall production is quite nice--not brilliant but clearly worth your time due to nice acting and a fresh story."Before a kiss is given, no one knows if it will big or if it will be small"

This movie is quite typically French—lots of talking, little actually happening. But within this framework it starts out quite well, is well directed, well acted, and the story is initially good and interesting.In the second half of the movie the two main figures plan an ingenious plot that makes the viewer curious about how it would work out. However, just when the movie becomes most interesting and things are actually happening, the plan abruptly fails in a rather concocted, unlikely way, frustrating the viewer and rendering the rest of the movie uninteresting.What a pity! This could have been one of the better French-style movies, if only the story author would have got his act together.

This movie is like half-popped corn. Remember that gooey feeling? The only reason to see it at all is a silent, dimly lit, near-still three-second shot of Virginie Ledoyen smoking a cigarette by the open window. Like her or not, you have to admit she looks great in half profile. A long-time advertising model (and bona-fide beach babe ever since she played eye candy to Danny Boyle's adaptation of Alex Garland's "The Beach"), she has become a very classy lady indeed. A little too classy for her own good perhaps. Which is true for the movie as a whole. The script lays claim to emotional upheaval and tragic turmoil, but the movie is all surface. If that's a dramatic strategy, it doesn't work for me. With outfits to match the set design, the characters are almost invisible against the backdrop of their tastefully decorated apartments. Think "Closer" meets "Match Point", minus any wit of note. There was only a single line I really liked. Judith (Ledoyen) is trying to convince Nicolas (writer-director-actor Emmanuel Mouret) that they must exorcise their obsession with one another by making its consummation as unpleasant as possible: "Let's do it on the floor. It'll be less comfortable that way." I'll try to remember that, and use it when the time is right.