French Kiss

This is a tissue-thin affair tarted up with phoney continental charm. Kate, a skittish control freak (Ryan), follows her fiancé to Paris when he tells her he's fallen in love with another woman. En route, she meets Gallic con-man Luc (Kline), who stows his contraband in her valise for customs, and reluctantly stands by when it's promptly stolen. Directed by Kasdan, this plays like a lighter version of The Accidental Tourist - there's the same cautious exhortation to open yourself to life's risks. Like the wine Luc treasures, the film wants to be sophisticated but not pretentious, cynical yet sincere. In other words, it wants it both ways. There's farce, slapstick, Kline's Clouseau accent, gibes at American puritanism and French driving, and then there's the desultory pacing, the plaintive life-enhancing sentiments and the travelogue cinematography.