neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Just A Kiss
	Fisher Stevens Ron Eldard, Kyra Sedgwick, Marisa Tomei, Marley Shelton, Taye Diggs, Zoe Caldwell, Patrick Breen, Sarita Choudhury 2002		The recipe for the dark romantic comedy "Just a Kiss" mixes the road-not-taken fantasy of "Sliding Doors," a pinch of the rotoscoped animated surreality that made "Waking Life" so noteworthy, and Gen-X bed-hopping right out of Whit Stillman's "Metropolitan" or "Barcelona." But, as hard as the cast and director Fisher Stevens (the actor) try, "Just a Kiss" falls flat from its cardboard characterizations and soapy, over-the-top affairs. A chain of events is set in motion when TV commercial director Dag (Ron Eldard) decides to plant a kiss on Rebecca (Marley Shelton), polyamorous dancer girlfriend of Dag's insecure actor pal Peter (Patrick Breen, who's also the screenwriter of record). It's no love-in when Dag's lover, Halley (Kyra Sedgwick), and Peter learn of the tryst. Then, three more bodies — cellist Andre (Taye Diggs), flight attendant Colleen (Sarita Choudhury) and kinky bowling-alley barmaid Paula (Marisa Tomei) — enter the equation. To be fair, bits of wit stud the script of "Just a Kiss." Just not enough of them.