French accent ?? Ouch !! + Stereotypes galore !

"It is so grotesque, it completely ruins the movie. That and countless other completely stupid statements such as "be nice to a French waiter and they'll treat you like dirt, be mean to them and they'll love it". I suggest you try and see how you get treated ! :D "


This is true. French waiters will treat you like dirt no matter how you treat them.

i'm neither french nor american... not canadian either...

but i thought this film was hillarious. The fact that they are stereotypes makes them so funny! Meg Ryan plays the ignorant never-having-traveled before american, and Kevin Kline plays the pompous wine drinking smoking french man. and come on, the one person that is french in this film (jean reno) doesnt adhere to those stereotypes at all.

Also, remember... its a comedy. hence, not to be taken seriously.

Well, at least the Canadian consulate guy got his accent right. Then again, Riley IS a Canadian.

"So eager for eternal damnation.."

Topher 26, that is an excellent comment. I'm French too and can scarcely believe that film could get away with such heavy clichés (the moustache, the drinking, damnit!) and phoney acting.

And Ryan acting the priggish American, horrible.

And once again only showing the cote d'azur when there are so many other more authentic spots of France which warrant Hollywood's attention.

Oh well, sigh, the movie was shot for Americans to watch, not French, so who am I to say anything? I just hope most viewers understand that there is way more to France than this.

Actually, I advise a much better comedy (which incidentally also ends in Cannes): Mr Bean's holiday.

this is a movie, it's not reality, and it give france a glamorous side. Have you seen Amelie Poulain? It's a french film made by a french person with french actors who is much more stereotypical than French Kiss.

I do not want the "tag" on the wall on paris, i do not want to see all the violence that you can see there too, i do not watch movies, especially the one like French Kiss to see credibility. Meg Ryan's character isn't credible too.

And as for the Kevin Kline's accent, even if we could tell at moment that he wasn't french, he had a incredibly good french accent when he was talking in french, so i'm really not complaining.

Do you think American films portray Americans accurately? It is the nature of the business. Having him be a certain way served the plot. Happens with American characters all the time.

Most movies play on stereotypes of one kind or another.

You really think that no one ever walked a goat in a town in France? I've been in a similar type of town in southern France and it would have fit right in if someone was walking a goat down the street because it was very rural farm country.

In fact, I live in the rural US and it wouldn't surprise me here either.

Why don't you complain about the stereotypes of Americans in the film? The neurotic American who knows nothing about other cultures (even though she is a history teacher).

And what about the comment about Americans being puritanical hypocrites? That doesn't bother you?

Oh right, you only give a s... if it's your ox being gored.

I can definitely understand why French people would be mad about the stereotypes and the inaccuracies in this movie. And yeah, Kevin Kline's not even French. But you know what? It's annoying for Americans to see another American who basically knows nothing about the another culture. Contrary to popular belief, not all of us are like that, including myself.

Couldn't it also be a stereotype that a man goes to a foreign country and cheats on his fiancee and then leaves her? (Not all men go on trips and cheat.)

What about the rude African American woman at the U.S. embassy? (Not all African Americans are rude.)

Or Charlie's parents being a little out of touch with electronics- the TV. (Not all senior citizens are technologically-challenged.)

Or Charlie's younger sister being kinda flaky. (Not all college kids are like that.)

They're all over the place, not just against French people or France. I'd list more, but I think I've made my point. Sure, stereotyping people and cultures isn't nice. But it had to start with some truths, and it certainly makes for good entertainment!

Remember- this is a ROMANTIC COMEDY. It has romance, and it has comedy. It also has a cheesy title. If you're looking for more, your expectations are too high.

That being said, this movie is one of my absolute favorites because of the fact that it makes me laugh every time. =)



*~neecole~*

Please! Your whining, petulant comment does nothing to dispel the common image of Frenchmen as humorless, rude, smug, self-important, xenophobic, bombastic, Pecksniffian boors. Surely it isn't necessary to perpetuate such a disagreeable stereotype.

Anyway, they probably only cast Kevin Kline because he's a good actor who can do comedy, whereas finding a Frenchman who can truly act well, let alone do comedy, would be as difficult as finding one who wasn't a humorless, rude, smug, self-important, xenophobic, bombastic, Pecksniffian boor. And certainly you know how difficult that would be.