6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A woman flies to France to confront her straying fiancé, but gets into trouble when the charming crook seated next to her uses her for smuggling.
Starring: Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline, Timothy Hutton, Jean Reno, François CluzetRomance | 100% |
Comedy | 76% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (224 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 @224 kbps
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Why oh why do some actresses feel they need to chop their faces to bits with plastic surgery? Now this isn’t a sexist commentary, for it’s only too obvious that Hollywood actors are at least as guilty of this folly (as one look at Mickey Rourke eminently proves). But for some reason women seem more amenable to going under the knife, sometimes repeatedly, until they look like weird alien doppelgangers of their former selves. It’s especially odd when there’s nothing wrong with their original faces to begin with. It’s one thing to have a little eye lift or neck tuck as the effects of gravity’s solemn pull suck a face ever downward through the decades, but how do you account for still relatively youthful actresses who reshape their faces to meet some ideal that evidently only they are privy to? This is neither here nor there in terms of relating to any given performer or their body (no pun intended) of work, but it’s something that occurs perhaps unconsciously to this viewer when he sees “former” versions of actresses on display. On television, I still start almost involuntarily when I see Courteney Cox in Cougar Town these days. What has she done to herself? Is it “only” almost ridiculously plumped lips, or is her nose completely different? A few years ago I reviewed the 2008 remake of the iconic Claire Booth Luce play The Women for another site, and I marveled then at the seemingly inexplicable “change” that star Meg Ryan had put herself through, in my opinion not to the actresses’ betterment. Is it mere coincidence that Ryan has more or less disappeared from the acting scene? Is perhaps even she aware of how radically her surgery has altered her appearance? Well, for those jonesin’ for the “old, unimproved” cute as a button look of Meg Ryan, you could do worse than French Kiss, a not quite light enough soufflé that nonetheless shows why so many once fell in love with Ryan, deeming her a new version of “America’s Sweetheart”.
French Kiss is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. This is an uncommonly beautiful film which utilizes its French setting to marvelous effect. Director Lawrence Kasdan and legendary cinematographer Owen Roizman (The Exorcist, Network, The French Connection) cast the film in an amber, sun dappled ambience that adds immeasurably to creating a slightly exotic, romantic environment. This may lead some to believe that some shots looks overly soft, but it's really not the case. Intentionally gauzy at times, yes, but there's still abundant fine detail even in many midrange shots. Colors are very nicely saturated, accurate and often quite robust. The image is very nicely clear and sharp, with well modulated contrast. There doesn't appear to have been any overly aggressive digital sharpening or noise reduction applied to this release. There are a couple of very minor stability issues, including some slight motion judder on some quick pans.
French Kiss features a nice sounding lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that isn't overly immersive and tends to exploit the front soundstage more consistently than the side or rear channels, but which is still very enjoyable on its own terms. Dialogue is very cleanly presented, and the film's ebullient James Newton Howard score, which does indeed populate the surrounds, sounds great. That's the fantastic virtuoso Toots Thielemans on the harmonica solos sprinkled throughout the film. Fidelity is excellent, though dynamic range is quite narrow.
Maybe Meg Ryan needed a change. She's on record as stating she ultimately hated being cast in one romantic comedy after another, but the fact is, she was ideally suited to the genre. She's spunky, she's accessible and she's pretty in a non threatening way. Or at least she was. French Kiss finds Ryan 1.0 in fine form, working well with Kevin Kline, who hams it up enjoyably. The film is predictable but enjoyable and it's certainly one of the more gloriously beautiful rom- coms, courtesy of its lush French settings. This Blu-ray looks and sounds great, and even without any supplements to speak of, it comes Recommended.
1958
1963
2003
1957
2009
2003
2011
10th Anniversary Edition
2006
2009
1955
1958
1938
La délicatesse
2011
Monte Carlo or Bust!
1969
Warner Archive Collection
1979
Includes "The Shop Around the Corner" on DVD
1998
2009
2003
2018
1995