Lechuguilla
With those stunning camera shots of Chicago and that snappy Harry Connick, Jr. song in the title sequence, "Kissing A Fool" gets off to a great start. And I liked Bonnie Hunt as the story's narrator. But the film suffers from a plot that is too predictable and from characters whose behavior is not believable.This is one of those movies that you can see the end coming a mile away. There are virtually no plot twists to deflect the story's straight-line trajectory. As such, the story is almost too simple and unimaginative to be worth telling. To varying degrees, most romantic comedies are fairly shallow. But "Kissing A Fool" has no subtlety at all, not in plot, not in characters, not in dialogue.Lacking any complexity, the story relies on two main characters, Jay (Jason Lee) and Max (David Schwimmer) whose behavior toward each other is not believable. They're supposed to be best buddies. But they are constantly at each other's throats. Their constant arguing not only is annoying; it calls into question their friendship. How can they be best buddies?The two are not at all alike. Jay is bookish and cerebral; Max is your typical arrogant, cocky self-centered sports freak jerk. All that animosity between these two guys does not lend credibility to their "friendship"; yet, it is the main contrivance that propels the film's plot. Further, it renders a story conclusion that is, by extension, also not believable.The film's acting is a tad exaggerated. I like Jason Lee, but he tends to overact in this film. Mili Avital, as the girl in between, is okay, but she doesn't have much to do. And David Schwimmer's performance is something of a hyper-masculine strut-fest. Some subtlety in acting would have helped a lot.For all that, "Kissing A Fool" is still worth watching, once. It has credible production values, and there are occasional lines of dialogue that are funny. And I think the film's underlying concept is fine. I just wish the script and the acting could have been a little more nuanced and subtle.
all_about_rolling_rock
This movie appealed to me for one main reason.I went through almost the same situation with my best friend and now ex-girlfriend.This movie is set around two best friends Max and Jay.Max is the party type all around ladies man while Jay is an unlucky in love man still sulking over a pat relationship.I personally think the roles were givin out perfectly.David Schwimmer as the ladies man.Jason Lee as the sensitive man(a drastic change from his usual roles especially in Kevin Smith's movies)and Mili Avital give a sexy performance as the girl wanted by both men.If you like a good romantic comedy i would say see this.Heck even if your not into romantic comedys still see this movie.4 out of 5 stars.
boberck
Implausible and boring, with distracting and unnecessary profanity. Bonnie Hunt's talent was totally wasted. Maybe the film would have worked if a different set of actors had been cast. It was really quite unpleasant to watch them going through the motions, and not caring about them at all.
dogcow
every character in this film is totally dislikeable, I very rarely agree with Leonard Maltin but this movie is definitely awful. The David Schwimmer character is more likeable than the Jason Lee character but not very much, which doesnt work because Lee is supposedly the "hero" of the story. He's whining, pathetic and annoying. In reality, neither deserves to get the girl.
AD
