Kissing a Fool . Memphis Flyer . 03-09-98

Kissing a Fool

DIRECTED BY: Doug Ellin

REVIEWED: 03-09-98

David Schwimmer really is a friend. He’s been pounding the pavement like crazy, making the talk-show rounds, to promote his joint project, Kissing A Fool, with his buddy, director Doug Ellin. Well, it can’t hurt, and since this is yet another middling love-triangle, romantic comedy, it could use all the help it can get.

On these talk shows, Schwimmer has been saying what a joy it is to take a break from his mopey, sensitive-guy character, Ross on Friends. But Schwimmer might want to hold off on writing his Oscar speech – this isn’t too much of a stretch. Schwimmer plays an equally schmucky guy named Max Abbitt, a womanizing Chicago sportscaster whose catchphrase is “What up?” He is set up on a blind date by his childhood pal and fledgling writer, Jay (Jason Lee). The woman is Sam Andrews (Mili Avital), Jay’s editor, and Sam and Max hit it off immediately, despite their obvious differences. The pair get engaged after two weeks and move in together. But almost as quickly, Max starts to have doubts. He casts his own insecurities about being faithful onto Sam, so he asks Jay to try and seduce her to test her loyalty. High-minded Jay won’t have anything to do with it. However, in the course of working closely with Sam, Jay realizes he has feelings for her after all and blah, blah, blah.

Kissing A Fool is not necessarily a bad film, just a nondescript one. The players are all likeable, and Lee is especially sincere. It’s just that the script is predictable and never really all that charming and funny (two musts for a romantic comedy). The film does have a couple of cameos – one from ballplayer Sammy Sosa and the other from Jerry Springer. In one scene, Jay watches a Springer show with a topic that echoes his predicament. Just think if the threesome had gone on the show. Jay and Max could wail on each other and then Sam would bring out her lesbian lover. Now that would be something.

--Susan Ellis

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Kissing a Fool
Kissing a Fool

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