Just a Kiss

I can't help wondering if some of the positive comments here were written by people involved in making this film, not only because it's a movie only its mother could love (though it is), but because they seem to reflect what the filmmakers intended, not what the audience sees. It's screamingly obvious that this was intended to be an 'original' film, the interspersing of cartoony footage, the 'alternate reality' stuff, but all in all this is just a rehash of 100 film school indies you've seen before, urban hipsters having sex, having relationships, engaging in the forced clever banter that passes for wit in such flicks. The characters are intended to be unique and interesting, but instead of personalities, they just have quirks. It's not unbearable, there's just not enough here to make it worth the time it takes to watch.

It doesn't take much to set the dominoes of human relationships to tumbling. Sometimes all it takes is a kiss. In "Just a Kiss", one man, Dag, has a one-nighter with his best friends girl. This sets in motion a series of encounters that ultimately cause much pain and suffering and death. At least that's what we're led to believe. But the film uses gimmicks and "cleverness" to twist things around enough to provide a pat Hollywood ending. While watching the movie, I wasn't liking it much, but afterwards I came to like it a bit. I'm still not a fan of roto-scope, or roto-animation, or whatever it's called, ("Waking Life" may have put me off it forever), and even though it was used sparingly in this movie, I found it to be annoying. In the end, I'll probably recommend this movie to some people, but definitely not others

Commercial director Dag (Ron Eldard) is a former womanizer. He's dating Halley (Kyra Sedgwick) and their best friend is Peter (Patrick Breen). Peter is dating flighty lead dancing Rebecca (Marley Shelton) who lives under her domineering director mother. One day, Rebecca reveals that she and Dag had a fling while she was touring in Europe. Dag, Halley, and Peter all break up as they find other relationships. Dag flirts with unstable waitress Paula (Marisa Tomei) who is in love Peter's commercial as a peanut butter mascot eagle. Halley has a fling with Andre (Taye Diggs) while staying at Rebecca's apartment. Peter meets Colleen (Sarita Choudhury) and then their plane crashes.

It's always fascinating to see these established actors in their earlier less-known work. Suddenly, Peter Dinklage shows up in a weird one-off role. Tomei is playing a psycho. There is a lot of wackiness but it doesn't strike my fancy. It's harder to laugh when the lead annoys me and Dag annoys me. I'm not a fan Eldard although he's usually pretty good as the annoying sidekick or the pathetic villain. It's not good when he's the lead. I also find the animated flashes really bad and unnecessary. I'm only interested in Halley and Peter but even there, the interest fades rather quickly. Peter pulling down his pants is a great move but his character turns bland. I love Sedgwick but when she lets in Andre, I just don't think that any New Yorker would do that without at least calling Rebecca. In the end, none of these characters intrigue me and other than the pants drop, none of it struck me as being funny.

This movie was a moviestar-filled indie film about relationships and what might have happened had they chosen to take things differently with the people nearest to them. This plot is very overused so naturally to change the movie and make it unique, they add digital effects over the video to make it more artsy.

I liked the effects and the different characters were always getting themselves into crazy situations involving neverending change, but the way this was directed was so unbelievable and chaotic that the audience, in my opinion, doesn't have time to understand how to react to the changes that are made. This movie is more depressing than happy or even "real."

This obviously is supposed to be a black comedy based around the emotion of love and its many forms and prices of being in love. I gave it a 5/10 stars because although it had nice stylistic touches to keep you watching, there was very little payoff to watching through to the credits.

Just A Kiss? It could have been called 'Surrealistic Fruitcake'.

Certainly a strange flick. Lots of big stars doing weird work in Manhattan, but certainly not up to normal standards. I can just see Woody Allen doing a face palm. Not a high point for director Fisher Stevens.

Not sure if it was about schizophrenia, or just a case of writers' discarded notes being made into a movie. Visually, a strange intermix of normal filming and painted-over frames, to look something like comic books.

Mildly entertaining, for all that.

Shows Tomei and Sedgwick in different kind of roles than their usuals.

Could have been a breakout role for Taye Diggs and sexy Marley Shelton, had the movie not totally bombed.

Worth a look if you like the offbeat.