I can't find the right adjectives to describe just how grandiose this was. Hands down the best Romance movie I've watched this year. Julie Gayet is life.

kinda lame and no ha ha

a movie with good potential but not to my expectations... bad directing and horrible acting has killed it.

Excellent depth in plot. Humorous, yet still a good final message..even though--well, I won't ruin the ending. ;) The modern scandalous romance films pale in comparison.

Shall We Kiss (2007) may not require much deep thought but nevertheless it is has the same pleasant and quirky feel like most romantic comedies. The main characters are delightful, charming, and know how to engage their audience. What seems to be most noteworthy of all their performances is the chemistry they have with one another. The sexual tension and love between the characters is so raw and present in their expressions that the audience cannot help but feel a sense of commitment to them and their relationships. The music soundtrack is by Schubert and Tchaikovsky, and it helps add to upbeat and light flair of the film. Though the film contains charm and character you cannot help but question how realistic the story line is. The characters approach love and sex with such recklessness; you wonder why they are unable to just act their age. They may act competent and composed, but they treat adultery and betrayal with such abandonment you wonder if they have no shame. Not to mention, Shall We Kiss (2007) likes to draw out the most uncomfortable of scenes, leaving any one in their right mind squirming and praying for it to be over. This film was written and directed by Emmanuel Mouret, who also plays the films main character of Nicholas. Though he is well known for being both a director and an actor; he has received more praise and recognition as a director. Though he did not receive any rewards for this film, he has won countless others including: Best Screenplay for his film The Art of Love (2011). As a director he chooses very bland costumes and set design to focus all the attention on the dialogue, which is very apparent in Shall We Kiss (2007) with all the beige apartments and costumes. By drawing attention away from the cinematography, the audience can focus on his main ideas. Emmanuel Mouret seems to be communicating two main ideas in his film. The first idea follows a repeatedly used cliche theme for romantic comedies: a man and a women cannot be just friends if physical attraction exists between them. The main characters Judith and Nick had shared a beautiful friendship for years until the day that Nick asked her to give him the physical attention he has been lacking in his life. Though they thought they could go back to being friends, it proved to be impossible because of the physical attraction developing into love between them. This idea is exemplified in a scene where Nick pulls Judith aside at an art gallery and tells her that he is in love with her and cannot stop thinking about her since they had acted upon their physical attractions. True to cliche romantic comedy form, Judith agrees and they give into their sexual desires for one another. The second main idea is that the regret of adultery eventually catches up to you. This is exemplified by the fact that Judith does not seem to have much remorse for her adulterous actions, until she had to come clean to her husband that she was cheating on him. Afterwards, she tells Nicholas that she cannot be happy for a while unless her ex-husband is happy again. Emmanuel Mouret proves that no form of cheating is free from remorse. Though the film had its strengths and weaknesses, one aspect of this film was consistent: it always oozed French culture. Down to the composers mentioned, paintings on the wall and the way the characters dressed, there was nothing un-French about this movie. For example the women are always dressed classy and with minimal makeup. The film even ended in typical French form: leaving us with no clear answers of what happened to the characters, and leaving it up to our own imagination. For example, we wonder in the end if the last kiss scene was truly platonic or if it will develop into something more. Though Shall we Kiss (2007) may not be the most memorable of romantic comedies; it is defiantly worth seeing!

Just watched this movie and I really liked it. Should I say a typical French romantic comedy?

(***): [img]http://images.chrc4work.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Funny and with a good cast.

I've seen several movies where it's this same setting. Two characters who are attracted to each other but are both with another person so they fuck each other behind their partners' backs. I've also seen movies where the people being cheated on are presented as good people, yet you're supposed to root for the people who are fucking around...that's shitty writing quite frankly. How am I supposed to root for the two characters, however in love they may be, when 'good' people are being fucked over? Thankfully that's not the case with this movie, as the characters, right from the very beginning, are presented as selfish dicks who really don't care about hurting anyone as long as they get what they want. And that's what carries the movie. If they were presented in any other way, the movie wouldn't have worked. And I love how, at the beginning, when they start their affair they're so serious about rationalizing what they're doing. As if they were discussing, seriously and sternly, the 19th century existentialist movement. That's where most of the comedy comes from. And that's where the movie really shines, unfortunately once they start taking their affair seriously, that aspect of the movie is gone and the movie just isn't as funny. I still think it's a good movie with some entertaining aspects and the way they build up to the final kiss was good and effective, in spite of fucking over poor Claudio yet again. Anyway good movie, with a decent enough story and enough laughs to carry it even if it peaks way too early.

Cute. Took a while for that kiss.

While billed as a "comedy," this fine French film is so much more. Emmanuel Mouret has crafted a beautiful script, which he sensitively directed, and in which he plays a leading role. The premise of "Shall We Kiss?" may be a tad far-fetched, but as the two "love" stories play themselves out, we come away deeply touched, sad, and still, with smiles on our faces. The subtle use of Schubert's music throughout, coupled with the "back story" of Schbert's ill fated marriage, add an unwritten subtext to this exceptional film. "Shall We KIss?" is well worth your time and your thought. Be sure to see it with someone special! Bravo!

There is always an option...

"Un Baiser s'il vous plait" is a clever French romantic comedy whose story takes place on two different levels. I really liked this narrative story-telling technique, as it gives a reason for experiencing this unfortunate love story. It also allows the camera to cut away before the sex scenes get graphic by returning to the narrator. I also like how a lot of the details fit in with the overall story, such as the great soundtrack of classical music fitting in with Claudio's love for Schubert. I really enjoyed the actors, particularly the gorgeous Virginie Ledoyen and Emmanuel Mouret. Their sexual encounters initially seem emotionless; however, this successfully shows their hesitancy to begin the affair as their chemistry gets better as the relationship progresses. Looking at the other main actors (Bel, Gayet, Accorsi, and Cohen), I wonder if they could have possibly chosen a more attractive cast! The film is punctuated by an unexpected truth that is revealed at the end as well as a cliff-hanger ending that makes a statement about how desire often takes precidence over what we know is right (which is the theme of the entire film). Despite the cliff-hanger, the ending is satisfying as it ties the two stories together and makes you reexamine your own relationships.

I was hooked, even though the main characters had no chemistry what so ever. The chick telling the story to the stranger had way more chemistry.

Directed & Written beautifully!

weak plot, unconvincing acting... bleah!

The narrators storyline ruins what the rest of the movie seems geared to accomplish. What few merits this film has unfortunately fall apart by the end. If you feel for the characters at all, you will not by then. One of those movies that the critics seemed to like, and I just don't see why....

Going in, this viewer wasn't sure about the format. Poorly done, using a present situation to tell another story can seem flat and highly contrived. But, in this case it works. A woman accepts a ride from a stranger and when, at the end of a pleasant evening he tries to kiss her, she demurs and proceeds to tell him the story of a friend of hers. The way the two stories are woven, fits together and gives a plausible explanation for the woman's hesitancy. As another reviewer has said this is incredibly erotic for the amount of skin that is shown on screen. The director has chosen to leave the juiciest parts up to the viewer's imagination, and that only serves to heighten the experience. This is a charming tale, told with wit and subtle visual gags. The actors are quite good, and the viewer finds himself quietly becoming invested in watching these two relationships play out. SPOILER! When the kiss does finally come, it is marvelous!

In "Shall We Kiss?" Emilie(Julie Gayet) has a wonderful time being shown around Nantes by Gabriel(Michael Cohen). At the end of the day, he attempts to give her a goodnight kiss but she rebuffs him. For the reason why, she tells him the cautionary tale of Judith(Virginie Ledoyen) and Nicolas(Emmanuel Mouret, who also writes and directs), two longtime friends. Judith is happily married to Claudio(Stefano Accorsi) while Nicolas has just amicably broken up with his girlfriend of two years. Missing intimacy, he visits a prostitute(Marie Madinier) which ends badly. So, Judith sees what she can do for him... "Shall We Kiss?" is a surprisingly gentle and droll comedy of manners that almost gets tripped up by a plot trap but recovers nicely. Usually, I have a problem with movies this talky, but here it feels completely natural, as a lot of it is delivered in an awkward fashion that captures the characters' feelings well with them being terrified to take the next step, symbolized by a kiss. But for men and women who are platonic friends, things may be perfect as they are. For Judith and Nicolas, the tragedy may come from them not taking action long ago when there were less complications.

Virginie Ledoyen est le plus belle femme. Ma tête tourne! Et je ne sais rien...

Dumped and despondent, Nicholas needs to empty his balls, so he turns to his long-time best friend, Judith. But after their first affair, they realize that friends with benefits leads to love. Now committed to one another, they must arrange to lightly let down their other significant others. While billed as a romantic comedy - and there are certainly bits that attempt to imitate Woody Allen's best in manipulative and situational absurdity - there are only a few laugh-out-loud moments. This stems from the simple fact that these characters are remarkably staid and uninteresting -- or at least portrayed by actors who fail to give them much emotional life and presented by a director who shoots almost the whole film in motionless two-shots; the cinematography almost hearkens back to the early days of film when they thought that because the best seat in a theater was front and center, the camera shouldn't move from that position. What is more, we need someone - the actors, director, writer, craft service guy - to make a decision about whether Nicolas's original proposition is a crafty manipulation in order to fuck Judith or should we take him at his word that he simply, honestly needs physical affection and his best friend is the most logical choice. Is this a mature but ill-advised request or a clever ploy? A point so instrumental to the plot shouldn't be so mysterious. When we get to act two, the film's Woody Allen homages come to the fore. Now the couple has to manipulate Judith's husband to falling for another woman. But whereas Allen has a clear point about the monotony of monogamy and the cruelty/desperation (depending on the film) of humans in love, I don't see any such statement here. Rather, it seems like they're attempting to be logical and kind, but how is it that they fail to recognize the clear ethical dilemma in which they find themselves. Overall, <i>Shall We Kiss</i> is a structural and thematic mess with doses of charm too rare to ignore the film's flaws.