Movie Review: Shall We Kiss (2007)

The romantic comedy has fallen on hard times in recent years. If one was to stretch the genre, Moonrise Kingdom and Safety Not Guaranteed might be the apogee in 2012, but otherwise we might have to look back to 500 Days of Summer (2009) and Hitch (2005) as the last truly compelling entries. There are the sanguine near misses like Crazy Stupid Love (2011), Love and Other Drugs (2010) and 50/50 (2010) to consider -- but to me they miss the mark by failing to include sufficient humor or characters we really root for (does anyone really care if the womanizer gets the girl in CSL?). Then there are the more screwball films that allow a lonely or driftless character to get the women he loves like 40 Year Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), She's Out of My League (2010), that make us stretch our imagination to allow for the chubby dolt to get the dream girl (and even worse are Sandler's forays into this Lacanian dreamscape). Forgetting Sara Marshall (2008) had a certain charm, but didn't hit all the right notes by falling back on stupid jokes a little too often (though I thought Russell Brand was hilarious). And I suppose Midnight in Paris (2011) is worth consideration as well. 

French romantic comedies, on the other hand, have had a good decade, with many small, lovely films finding the perfect balance between humor, compelling characters and endings that hit the right note. On this list I would include Romantic Anonymous (2010), The Valet (2006), I Do, How To Get Married and Stay Single (2007) Russia Dolls (2005) and, of course, Amelie (2001) -- a masterpiece from a director Jeunet who tends to tell very different stories in his other excellent films -- among a host of others. One that stands out for me is Shall We Kiss from 2007. It follows the exploits of two good friends Judith (Virginie Ledoyen) and Nicolas (Emmanuel Mouret) who fall in love while trying to solve Nicolas' problem with a lack of physical intimacy in his life. The problem is that they both have partners and thus hatch an harebrained plan to let the two off easily. The story is told through a woman (Emile, Julie Gayet) who meets a charming man (Gabrile, Michaël Cohen) while traveling and, as they are about to kiss after a nice evening together, relates the tale to convince him that even the most innocent of kisses can have unintended consequences that reach far and wide. The film is funny and touching with not one, but three love stories intertwined. 

While the French romantic comedy can occasionally fall prey to the same formulaic impulses as American entries, it tends to do so less often and with less laziness. American romantic comedies almost always have the two sidekick friends, a relatively absurd start to the relationship, some often heavily contrived barrier to overcome and then a grand gesture to secure the love in the end. The French allow the romance to simmer more and do not feel the need to follow strict plot arcs, often going for something unexpected or allowing the narrative to align without a complete suspension of disbelief (one of my favorites of all times is The Taste of Others). They are not big productions, generally, and allow the sort of quirkiness and stops and starts that are so often involved in real love affairs to define the tales. The humor is also more nuanced and less base and there appears to be little need for the grand gesture to intervene for the love to reach its fruition in the end. 

Don't get me wrong, there are still the occasion gems in the American version of the genre, like the aforementioned Midnight in Paris, 500 Days of Summer (though it is, of course, a breakup film) and Safety not Guaranteed, but too often Hollywood falls back on the tired formula to the detriment of making the films truly entertaining or memorable. Let's hope 2013 brings something fresh and new to the genre.