French Kiss (1995 film)

French Kiss

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	1995
Founder	Lawrence Kasdan (director), Adam Brooks (writer)
Products	Romantic comedy film

French Kiss is a 1995 romantic comedy film directed by Lawrence Kasdan and featuring performances by Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. Penned by Adam Brooks, the story centers on a woman who journeys to France to confront her unfaithful fiancé but becomes involved with a charismatic thief transporting a stolen diamond necklace. Filming took place on location in Paris, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur area, and Cannes. The movie premiered in the United States on May 5, 1995, garnering mixed critical reactions while achieving notable box office success with global earnings near $102 million.

This movie served as the basis for the 1998 Hindi film Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha and also influenced the 2004 Malayalam comedy Vettam. Additionally, it marked the final cinematographic work of Owen Roizman before his passing in 2023.

Plot

Kate, an American history teacher residing in Canada, is engaged to Charlie, a physician. When Charlie admits he has fallen for a French woman and will not be returning, Kate travels to Paris determined to reclaim him. On her flight, she sits beside Luc Teyssier, a French winegrower who is secretly smuggling a stolen diamond necklace concealed within an American grapevine in her bag.

Once in Paris, Luc is recognized by Inspector Jean-Paul Cardon, who turns a blind eye to Luc’s smuggling activities due to their shared history. Meanwhile, Kate’s luggage is stolen by Bob, who sells her passport and clothing but leaves behind the grapevine. Because of an undisclosed criminal record, Kate is refused help from embassies. She then follows Charlie to Cannes accompanied by Luc, who pretends to assist her but actually intends to retrieve the necklace for himself.

Throughout their trip, Kate uncovers details about Luc’s past—he lost his family vineyard through a poker game but retains his love for winemaking. She finds the necklace hidden in her possession and begins embracing French romantic ideals as Luc advises. At Cannes, she confronts Charlie and his lover Juliette, pretending not to care about Charlie and claiming Luc as her partner.

Inspector Cardon requests that Kate surrender the stolen necklace to prevent Luc’s arrest. Kate persuades Luc to allow her to sell it to Cartier and negotiates property division with Charlie before ultimately rejecting him. After returning the necklace and secretly giving Luc her savings disguised as Cartier’s payment, she heads to the airport.

On the plane, Luc confesses his love; they reunite passionately at their vineyard, signaling both a personal and professional new beginning.

Cast

• Meg Ryan as Kate
• Kevin Kline as Luc Teyssier
• Timothy Hutton as Charlie Lytton
• Jean Reno as Inspector Jean-Paul Cardon
• François Cluzet as Bob
• Susan Anbeh as Juliette
• Marie-Christine Adam as Juliette's mother
• Jean-Paul Jaupart as Juliette's father
• Renee Humphrey as Lilly
• Michael Riley as M. Campbell
• as Concierge
• as Octave
• as Claire
• Julie Leibowitch as Olivia
• Miquel Brown as Sgt. Patton
• Claudio Todeschini as Antoine Teyssier
• Jerry Harte as Herb
• Thomasine Heiner as mom
• Barbara Schulz as a pouting girl
• Clément Sibony as a pouting boy
• Adam Brooks as Perfect Passenger
• Patrice Juiff as French Customs Official
• Jean Corso as Hotel George V Desk's clerk
• François-Xavier Tilmant as hotel waiter
• Williams Diols as beach waiter
• Mike Johns as Lucien
• Ghislaine Juillot as Jean-Paul Cardon's wife
• Alain Frérot as Old Man

Pre-production

The character of Luc was initially crafted with Gérard Depardieu in mind; however, when Depardieu was unavailable, the role was taken on by Kevin Kline.

Filming

Principal photography took place from September 17 to December 22, 1994. The majority of French Kiss was filmed across Paris, the Alpes-Maritimes region in southeastern France, and Cannes.

In Paris, significant scenes were shot at locations such as the Hotel George V, where Kate meets the concierge and where Bob pilfers her purse. The Eiffel Tower features prominently throughout the film, underscoring Kate’s yearning to explore the city. Other important Parisian sites include a phone booth on the Champs-Élysées near the Arc de Triomphe, the American and Canadian Embassies, streets in Montmartre, the vicinity of the Louvre, Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Palais de Chaillot, Place des Abbesses, and Gare Saint-Lazare station—although trains to Cannes actually depart from Gare de Lyon.

Within the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, filming occurred in the village of Valbonne near Cannes, showcasing scenes such as Luc’s confrontation with his brother in the town square adjacent to Hotel les Armoiries. Additional footage was captured at nearby train stations and vineyards around La Tour-d'Aigues and Meyrargues.

In Cannes, both exterior and interior shots were taken at the Carlton Hotel, alongside scenes on its beach and surrounding waterfront areas, including the Cartier boutique. The grape-picking sequences were filmed at Château Val Joanis in Pertuis. Studio filming was conducted at Paris Studios Cinéma (Billancourt Studios).

Title

Initially named Paris Match after the French news magazine, the film’s title was altered following a dispute initiated by Billy Crystal with the MPAA, due to its similarity to his Paris-set romantic comedy Forget Paris, which premiered two weeks later.

Soundtrack

The French Kiss Original Soundtrack was issued by Mercury Records on May 9, 1995, reaching number 170 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Critical response

Premiering in the United States on May 5, 1995, French Kiss garnered mixed critical reactions. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle commended director Lawrence Kasdan for emphasizing character depth and understated humor, while highlighting Kevin Kline’s convincing French accent and Meg Ryan’s comedic timing.

Rita Kempley from The Washington Post remarked on the film’s lack of intense passion but praised the rapport between Ryan and Kline, describing Kline’s portrayal as "the zaniest since A Fish Called Wanda." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times found fault with the characters’ immaturity despite the scenic backdrops of Paris and Cannes. Janet Maslin of The New York Times characterized it as a leisurely romantic comedy that falls short on humor.

On review platforms, French Kiss holds a 48% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 27 critiques and a Metacritic score of 50/100 derived from 14 reviews, reflecting an average or mixed consensus. Audience feedback collected by CinemaScore assigned it a "B+" grade.

Box office

The movie earned $38.9 million within the United States and $63.1 million internationally, accumulating roughly $102 million worldwide.

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Outcome
1996	American Comedy Awards	Motion Picture's Funniest Actor	Kevin Kline	Template:Nom
		Motion Picture's Funniest Actress	Meg Ryan	Template:Nom

Home media

French Kiss became available on video in the United States on February 6, 1996. It was subsequently issued on DVD on January 18, 2000, and later on Blu-ray on January 8, 2013, with both formats released by 20th Century Fox.