I Kissed A Girl

Love changes everything….. Indeed when Jérémie, 34, wakes up in an apartment he doesn’t know, next to a woman he doesn’t know. She is Adna, a stunning Swede, as funny as she is attaching. The beginning of a fairy tale? Not quite. Because Jérémie is about to get married… to another man.This delightful French movie is based on the romanctic comedy genre, but with a twist, which is a major obstacle in the way of three people who couldn’t see what was coming until it was too late and we are not talking just about the two lead characters! It is also the story of a crisis in the life of a couple for whom everything seems to be working, and how all that can change. The French have a very funny way of looking at life and it can get a little (too) complicated sometimes.

There are hilarious moments throughout this film, but let’s start with the two heroes, Jérémie and Antoine, two very successful professionals about to hit the prime of their careers and get married, when fate steps in and Jérémie sleeps with Adna unexpectedly, which throws him completely off his path and thoughts about his gay future life. Jérémie thinks it is just an aberration and he gets back into his groove planning the wedding, but Adna has taken his heart for reasons that he cannot explain initially. Then there is Jérémie’s family which has accepted Jérémie’s nature, his difference, but when he tells them he is in love with a woman, the whole family model breaks down, with hilarious consequences.

Then there is Jérémie’s business partner, Charles, who thinks he knows it all when it comes to sex and his best friend’s proclivities, but as much as he plays the protagonist throughout, supporting Jérémie in all that he chooses in life, even he is forced to reconcile his wicked ways to what truly makes him happy. It is because of Charles that the movie takes an interesting turn, taking us to Lapland while Jérémie pursues his heart to find the truth in his life.

The best part of the whole movie is the tightly woven family and friends stories that provide comedy gold for some great laughs and surprising turns that catch you by surprise. All characters are taken out of their comfort zones, because of Jérémie and Charles and how this friendship evolves. They also are responsible for showing others why differences can be embraced and create change that takes one’s future life to an entirely new level of happiness and challenging moments.

We loved the idea that the audience wouldn’t have to choose between a nice guy and a bad guy, and vice versa. Both the people in Jérémie’s life are lovable and legitimate. It’s hard for him to choose, and you will understand why he hesitates so much. The fact that he really has a ‘foot in each camp’ is a comedy shtick that works really well and creates so many wonderfully comic scenes. In the end, the film is about accepting differences, of whatever sort and beyond the point of departure of the film, a homosexual meets a woman and falls in love with her, the story soon and naturally enough focuses on the idea of couples in general and the issue of choice.

We can’t recommend this film highly enough, as it is funny, endearing, and moving, with laughs a plenty. Every actor is a standout (a lot of French actors that are not familiar to us), so one shouldn’t highlight any one performance as it is a great ensemble cast – if you do feel some stand out, it will be due to the fabulous writing for those characters. There is nothing in the film that will shock you in any way with such subject matter, but so much to delight you and it will leave you asking a lot of questions about what happiness really is and how it means something different to everyone.

Rating : 4/5