Kiss, Kiss! (2023) Review: Directed by Tomasz Konecki, the Polish-language film ‘Kiss, Kiss!’ is an abysmal hodgepodge of several outdated ideas about romance and humor. Written by Andrzej Golda and Martyna Skibinska, the film follows a douchebag named Tomek (Mateusz Kosciukiewicz), who hopes to have a lucrative job in Los Angeles. While he is desperate to get this bump in this profession, he is just as desperate to woo any girl that he comes across.
Tomek is supposed to attend a meeting that can shape his future. Instead, he chooses to gallivant around the town following Ola (played by Zofia Domalik). He meets her by a chance encounter and gets smitten by her within an instant. According to him, it’s love at first sight. Instead of being a responsible adult, he decides to follow her like a deranged stalker. He thinks it turns her on. It doesn’t. He is thrown out of a bus since he does not have a ticket. Then, he is thrown out of his job since he did not attend the meeting.
Uncertain of his future finances, Tomek decides to barge into his brother Janke’s (played by Rafal Zawierucha) house. There is some bad blood between these two, and thus Janke refuses to let him in. Still, Tomek manages to convince him and get inside his apartment.
Why? Maybe because Tomek is supposed to be the protagonist of the story, and the story needs to move forward. Even if we are not convinced, the film does not care. This is what happens in their lives, maybe because it has always been like this in such narratives. Confident people get what they want, and the meek ones submit. That is the film’s logic for most of its events.
Tomek soon gets an opportunity to film a wedding of Patsy’s (played by Edyta Olszowka) son – Kris (played by Kamil Szeptycki). Actually, it is her son’s wedding video preparation that Tomek is supposed to shoot. The film attempts to go meta about it. But the definition of creativity ends at Tarantino for the film’s writers. None of how Tomek shoots is Tarantino’s style. But who cares, right?
Tomek manages to get Janke on board to assist him with this profitable project. When Tomek reaches Patsy’s house, he realizes that Kris is marrying Ola. He instantly decides to kiss her and considers that spontaneity charming. Before that, he flirts with Patsy for her acting gigs to flaunt his womanizing skills. Basically, she is a Barbie girl in his Barbie world, and everyone else is there to assist in his silly, patronizing gags.
On the other hand, Janke is introduced as an awkward goof who loves another awkward goof – Klara (played by Agnieszka Wiedlocha). There is zero character development for both of these characters, and they are used merely as props for the laughs. ‘Haha, he is awkward,’ ‘Hehe, she can’t share her feelings.’ That’s all we learn about them throughout the film.
They are limited to these outdated archetypes, and you know what their problem is? They think too much – about the world’s problems, about themselves. And, of course, they need to be selfish in love. That’s the script’s moral. They need to use age-old tricks of wooing to appear confident. Tomek keeps pushing Janke to appear more heroic, careless, and apathetic. For him, that is the way to a woman’s heart.
Besides this creepy arc of romance, ‘Kiss, Kiss!’ also has a part about politics, gangsters, and people being forced into doing things against their will. Kris’s father, Minister Kosecki (played by Marcin Perchuc), is looking forward to being the president. The wedding is supposed to be hush-hush due to political reasons. There is also a gangster who is looking to gain something from this wedding.
Overall, everyone is scheming to get Ola married to a person against her will. She is marrying for the safety net that the marriage will provide her. She is evidently not happy with this decision. So, she sees Tomek as the route of escape for her. She is portrayed as a damsel in distress.
Tomek supposedly sweeps her off her feet and makes her believe that he understands the definition of true love. He exhibits it through gestures that are almost always creepy. There is no depth to any of its characters.
The use of tropes is in abundance so is the questionable behavior. There is a brief moment where the script tries to make us sympathize with Tomek by justifying his crudeness to a past trauma. Alas, it is never explored beyond this blink-and-you-will-miss-it moment. So overall, the film becomes unbearable with every passing minute.
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