Oo la la! "Shall We Kiss?", is an English subtitled French movie presented by Music Box Films, and written and directed by Emmanuel Mouret is an interesting one. It's subtly sexy and quirckily funny. Let's put it this way, my favorite line of the movie, which takes place after a man feels a woman's breast is, "You are not fed up?... Can I caress the other breast?" The entire cast consists of French actors who may be considered A or B listers in France, but would barely cut the Hollywood D list with Kathy Griffin. Even so, they all did a great job of convincing us that they were their characters. Each player, wrestled with emotions and logic and feelings and all along we could really feel what they were going through. The movie opens with a fairly innocent yet-you-know-something-is-going-to-come-of-it encounter between a polished business woman Emilie, played by French veteran Julie Gayet, and Gabriel, a rough around the edges blue-collar type played by Michael Cohen. She's passing through the neighborhood for one night, he's a local, she's lost, he knows the hood, you get the drill. Both are otherwise in committed relationships yet the attraction between them is undeniable. You will need to wait out the entire 102 minutes of the movie to learn what happens there, as the vast majority of the film consists of Emilie recounting the story of a girl, who, for all intents and purposes was happy. Judith, played by model turned actress, Virginie Ledoyen is happy enough. She has a job she likes, a longtime male friend she can confide in, and a lovely husband who is financially secure enough to support her should she want to quit working and make babies. Her BFF, Nicholas, played by the film's writer and director, Mouret, wrestles with some, um, issues; and turns to Judith to help sort it out. A funny, endearing, and emotional rollercoaster ride ensues. What is love and how best is it to express that? What is friendship? What is trust? What consequences result from a decision, big or small? Life isn't cut or dry, black or white, right or wrong and if you're looking for a movie that will give you the answers, this isn't it… but it will get you to think… just a little. For Movie Magazine International, I’m Dawn Bailey.

© 2009 - Dawn Bailey - Air Date: 03/09