French Kiss is a 1995 romantic comedy film directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. The film was written by Adam Brooks and follows a woman who travels to France to try to stop her fiancé from cheating. She gets into trouble when a charming criminal sitting next to her on the plane tricks her into helping him smuggle a stolen diamond necklace.
The movie was filmed in Paris, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France, and Cannes. It was released in the United States by 20th Century Fox and in other countries by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment on May 5, 1995. Critics gave the film mixed reviews, but it was a financial success, earning $102 million worldwide, which is more than three times its $40 million budget.
A Hindi version of the film, titled Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, was released in 1998. A Malayalam comedy film called Vettam, made in 2004, was also based on French Kiss. This movie was the last one filmed by cinematographer Owen Roizman before he passed away in 2023.
Plot
American history teacher Kate lives in Canada with her fiancé, Charlie, who is a doctor. When Charlie asks her to join him in Paris for a conference, she says no. She is afraid of flying, has a problem digesting milk products, and is working to become a Canadian citizen.
Later, Charlie calls Kate and tells her he has fallen in love with a French woman named Juliette and will not return to Canada. Determined to win him back, Kate takes a flight to Paris. She sits next to a man named Luc Teyssier, a Frenchman who is rude and unfriendly. Luc comes from a family that grows grapes and is hiding a stolen diamond necklace in a vine from the United States. He plans to sell the necklace and use the vine to grow his own grapes. Knowing that Kate is unlikely to be searched, Luc hides the items in her bag.
At the Paris airport, Luc is seen by Inspector Jean-Paul Cardon, who offers him a ride home and checks his bag for evidence of crime. Cardon knows Luc’s job but does not arrest him because Luc once saved his life.
Kate waits for Charlie at the hotel but faints when she sees him with Juliette. A thief named Bob steals her luggage while she is away. Luc returns to retrieve the vine and necklace and helps Kate identify Bob, whom he knows. At Bob’s home, Bob admits to selling her passport and taking her clothes, but the vine is still missing.
Kate asks the American and Canadian embassies for help but is refused because she did not tell the truth about a past crime involving marijuana. She takes a train to Cannes to find Charlie, who is traveling with Juliette to meet her parents. Luc, who discovers the necklace is not with the vine and believes it is still in Kate’s bag, pretends to help her win Charlie back.
That night, Kate kisses Luc while sleeping. Luc is surprised by his feelings for her. The next morning, Kate talks about a “delicious dream” while eating French cheese, but the food makes her sick. The pair arrive at La Ravelle, a town Luc admits is his hometown. He takes Kate to his family’s vineyard, where she learns he lost his right to own the vineyard in a poker game but has a deep love for wine.
As they board the train to Cannes, Kate reveals she found the necklace. Luc tells Kate to act like French women, who are often indifferent to men and keep them interested. Kate approaches Charlie and Juliette on the beach, saying she came to France to win Charlie back but now claims Luc is her lover and that her life with Charlie was unexciting.
That afternoon, Inspector Cardon tells Kate the necklace is stolen and asks her to return it so Luc will not be arrested. She convinces Luc to let her sell the necklace to Cartier.
Kate has dinner with Charlie to discuss dividing their shared property in Canada. Charlie is surprised by her new attitude, while Luc distracts Juliette. Kate and Charlie return to her room, but she refuses his advances, realizing she no longer loves him. Luc goes to bed with Juliette but stops when he calls her “Kate.”
The next morning, Kate tells Luc she has won Charlie back. She returns the necklace to Cardon and gives Luc a check, which is actually her life savings. She leaves with Luc’s thanks and heads to the airport. Cardon approaches Luc, who sees Charlie and Juliette reconcile, and tells him what Kate did. Luc finds Kate on the airplane and confesses his love for her. They are last seen kissing on the vineyard they now own together.
Production
The lead role of Luc was originally written for Gérard Depardieu, but Kevin Kline accepted the role when Depardieu could not be there for the film.
Main filming took place from September 17 to December 22, 1994. French Kiss was filmed mainly in Paris, the Alpes-Maritimes area in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France, and Cannes.
In Paris, scenes were shot at the Hotel George V, where Kate meets the arrogant concierge. The hotel lobby was used for the scene where the petty thief Bob steals Kate's bag after she faints. Several scenes show the Eiffel Tower in the background—the one place Kate wants to see most but keeps missing. A phone booth on Champs-Élysées near the Arc de Triomphe was used for the scene where Kate calls Charlie's mother. Scenes were also filmed at the American Embassy at 2 Avenue Gabriel and the Canadian Embassy at 35 Avenue Montaigne. The scene where Luc throws money on the sidewalk was filmed at the corner of rue Paul-Albert and rue Feutrier in Montmartre.
Driving scenes in Paris were filmed in front of the Louvre near the Louvre Pyramid, along the Rive Droite, and on Rue des Rosiers, where Luc drives down a narrow, winding cobblestone street. Additional Paris scenes were filmed at the Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre, the Grande Pharmacie de la Place Blanche at 5 Place Blanche, the Palais de Chaillot, and Place des Abbesses, where Kate and Luc discuss his "little problem." The final scene filmed in Paris was at the Gare Saint-Lazare train station, where Luc is chased by Inspector Jean-Paul Cardon while trying to board a train south to Cannes.
In the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, the small village of Valbonne, about fifteen minutes north of Cannes, was used for several scenes, including the scene where Luc fights with his brother in the main village square in front of the Hotel les Armoiries, an old seventeenth-century building. Other scenes were filmed at the train station and nearby vineyards around La Ravelle, 84240 La Tour-d'Aigues. The train station near Meyrargues, Bouches-du-Rhône, was also used in one scene.
In Cannes, several exterior shots of the Carlton Hotel were used to represent where the four main characters stay. There are interior scenes of the lobby and the brasserie used for morning breakfasts. Other scenes filmed here include the beach in front of the hotel along with the adjacent waterfront—in particular, the Cartier boutique on the next corner. The grape harvest scenes were filmed at Château Val Joanis in Pertuis, Vaucluse. Studio scenes were shot at Paris Studios Cinéma.
The film was originally titled Paris Match, a play on the name of the famous French newsmagazine. However, the title had to be changed after Billy Crystal argued with the MPAA as being too close to that of his own Paris-set romantic comedy Forget Paris, released just two weeks later.
The French Kiss Original Soundtrack album was released by Mercury Records on CD on May 9, 1995. It peaked at 170 on the Billboard 200.
Release
French Kiss was released in the United States on May 5, 1995, and received mixed reviews. In a review from the San Francisco Chronicle, Mick LaSalle wrote that director Lawrence Kasdan changed a light-hearted comedy with many story twists into a film that focuses on the characters' feelings. LaSalle praised Kasdan's subtle humor and noted that Kevin Kline's performance was "extraordinary," as he perfectly matched the French accent and speech patterns. He also commended Julia Roberts' timing, which "continues to delight."
In her review from The Washington Post, Rita Kempley gave the film a mixed review, stating it was not as passionate as the title suggests but that Roberts and Kevin Kline were "irresistible together." She praised their acting.
In a review from the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert was disappointed, writing that the characters "think like teenagers" despite appearing adult. He noted that Paris and Cannes were visually appealing but criticized Kline's character for lacking depth and Roberts' character for failing to convince viewers of her feelings for her fiancé.
In her review from The New York Times, Janet Maslin described the film as a romantic comedy with "barely a laugh or a spark" and criticized its slow pace.
Review websites Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic gave the film mixed ratings. Rotten Tomatoes reported a 46% score based on 28 critics, with the consensus stating the film is "bubbly and lively but not as exciting as its stars." Metacritic gave it a score of 50 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audience polls by CinemaScore gave the film a "B+" rating.
The film earned $38,896,854 in the United States and $63,086,000 internationally, for a total worldwide gross of $101,982,854.
Home media
The movie French Kiss was first made available on video tape in the United States on February 6, 1996, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. It was later released on DVD by the same company on January 18, 2000, and on Blu-ray format on January 8, 2013.