Shall We Kiss? (2007)

I love this movie so much

Good movie but grossly overrated

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Everything about this is a little off kilter, which I mean in the very best way. The characters proceed as if in a fantasy and it all winds up in hilarious scenes. A Rom-Com with a difference, this is hard to categorize.

"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"

I don't want to have to give this a lower score, but i cannot justify a higher score. It was mildly enjoyable, but it was slow moving. It a wonderful intimate moment on the bed where it was just the shot of his hand on her body. It was very well shot and structured. The fact that that scene was the best scene of the movie made the rest of it seem mediocre especially as the storyline became even more ridiculous. The performances where nothing special, but the two main actors sold the love scenes. I do think at the end there was some originality and had a lot of potential, but seeing movies like this makes me think of other movies I have seen that have done it better. The only reason that this even gets a 7 and not a 6 is because I enjoyed the story structure, but it wore on me after a while and the scene when they first make love. I also did not really care if the two actors kissed at the and it might have been more enjoyable if they left up to the imagination of the viewer. If it served a purpose with respect to the characters maybe, but I do not think it pulled it off at all.

I saw this last month at the 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival and of the 36 films I attended this would be in my top three. Not because it is skillfully executed art film or a masterfully crafted film with dynamic acting performances or with stunning art direction and cinematography and sound but simply because it so simple, original and extremely funny. I really enjoyed this romantic comedy farce from writer/director/actor Emmanuel Mouret who cast himself in one of the principal roles of Nicolas. It could be a stage play and maybe that's what Mouret had in mind when he wrote it. The story starts with Gabriel (Michael Cohen) and Emilie (Julie Gayet) who are strangers and have met by chance and enjoy an evening together as Emilie relates a story of how an innocent kiss can lead to unintended consequences. In Emilie's story told in flashbacks, she illustrates her point with that of Nicholas who confides in his friend Judith (Virginie Ledoyen) that he is addicted to physical intimacy but is afraid to start a new relationship with someone. Judith is married to Claudio (Stefano Accorsi) and doesn't want to be in a relationship with Nicholas so they come up with a plan to help Nicholas. The simple plan quickly goes wrong and escalates the problems and complications it develops throughout the story as told by Emilie. Fredrique Bel is also in the ensemble cast as Caline. The film of course a story within a story and both are delightfully spun. Mouret has delivered an absolutely charming, smart, fresh and witty film here that I would highly recommend and give it a full 10 out of 10.