History Film / FrenchKiss

* CanadaEh: Kate is trying to become a Canadian citizen to move in with Charlie. The Canadian Embassy rep is a stereotypical Canadian.

* BlackSheep: Luc is this to his family. He initially tells Kate the reason he's a petty thief is due to his childhood, but two seconds after meeting his family, she snarks that he must have had a ''terrible'' time growing up. Whatever his faults, his family still loves him, and he apparently visits often enough with girlfriends that one of them ask him if Kate is another conquest.

* [[ProdigalHero Prodigal Son]]: Luc thinks of himself as a BlackSheep, but really he's this, and like the Biblical story, his family celebrates when he returns.

* SexyWalk: When Kate has the idea of selling the necklace herself, Luc approves, saying she'd stroll in looking "just so" with her "little walk", which he describes as "like a woman, but also like a little girl." Kate denies she does this, but when she turns and walks away, [[MaleGaze everyone can see, yes, she does]].

* OneTrueLove: Kate believes in this and thought Charlie was hers. When she asks Luc if he believes in the concept too, he dismisses it as the question of a little girl who believes in {{Fairy Tale}}s. [[spoiler:Turns out Charlie does have a one true love with Juliet -- and Kate has hers with Luc.]]

* ProdigalSon: Luc thinks of himself as a BlackSheep, but really he's this, and like the Biblical story, his family celebrates when he returns.

* OneTrueLove: Kate believes in this and thought Charlie was hers. When she asks Luc if he believed it in it, too, he dismisses it as the question of a little girl who believes in {{Fairy Tale}}s. [[spoiler:Turns out Charlie does have a one true love with Juliet -- and Kate has hers with Luc.]]

** Kate later turns it around on Luc, asking him if ''he's'' willing to beg for having his one vineyard. His reaction causes her to ask, "[[NotSoDifferent So what makes you so different from me? Admit it!]]" and inspires him to help her win Charlie back.

* BookEnds: The film begins and (basically) ends with Kate sitting in an airplane seat visualizing a pastoral scene to calm her fear of flying.
** More specifically, it begins with Kate visualizing a stone cottage to keep herself calm. [[spoiler: In the end, that stone cottage not only becomes a reality, it also becomes her home, hers and Luc's and their family's.]]

* WisdomFromTheGutter: Luc isn't exactly the first person you would turn to for advice. On top of his shifty appearance, he's a thief and a con-artist who ReallyGetsAround. All in all, when Kate shares her personal fear that she'll never fall in love again if she can't win back Charlie, he comforts her. He tells her that although she misses him now, her heart will gradually heal, to the point where someday she won't give Charlie another thought.

* WisdomFromTheGutters: Luc isn't exactly the first person you would turn to for advice. On top of his shifty appearance, he's a thief and a con-artist who ReallyGetsAround. All in all, when Kate shares her personal fear that she'll never fall in love again if she can't win back Charlie, he comforts her. He tells her that although she misses him now, her heart will gradually heal, to the point where someday she won't give Charlie another thought.

-->'''Kate:''' (singing to herself nervously) I ''hate'' Paris in the springtime, I ''hate'' Paris in the fall when it drizzles(...)

* SexyWalk: When Kate has the idea of selling the necklace herself, Luc approves, saying she'd stroll in looking "just so" with her "little walk", which he describes as "like a woman, but also like a little girl." Kate denies she does this, but when she tuns and walks away, [[MaleGaze everyone can see, yes, she does]].

** When Kate sees the stewardess telling Luc that his seat is next to hers, Kate starts singing, "I ''hate'' Paris in the morning..."

Kate (Ryan) and Charlie (Timothy Hutton) have a perfect life planned out before them: buying a house, marriage, kids, the whole works. Kate's fear of flying keeps her in Canada while Charlie goes to Paris for a medical convention. While there Charlie is smitten by the lovely Juliette (SuzanAnbeh). He calls off the wedding with Kate and she nervously boards a plane to get him back. She ends up sitting next to the petty French thief Luc Teyssier (Kline). He hides a stolen necklace and smuggled grape vine in her bag to get it through customs. Her bag is stolen, the necklace apparently lost, and Kate and Luc head to Cannes -- Luc to find the necklace and Kate to get Charlie back. Along the way, Kate and Luc begin having feelings for each other -- which change the course of their lives.

* BrokenPedestal: Towards the end, [[spoiler: Kate realizes Charlie just isn't the ideal man to start a family with if not only was he unfaithful to her in the first place, but he can't wrap his head around the concept of settling down and planting roots -- at least, not with ''her''.]]

* JerkassHasAPoint: Charlie's sister may be [[BrutalHonesty brutally honest]] about it, but she makes a point that it's not wise of Kate to build a life around avoiding risks.

* MauriceChevalierAccent: All the French characters speak this way. Luc in particular is practically doing a Creator/MauriceChevalier impression.

* ShoutOut: Inevitable that at one point Kate will say, "Sorry, Charlie."

* WolfWhistle: Bob makes one when he spies the LadyInRed Juliette making out with Charlie in the glass elevator.

* EurekaMoment: Jean-Paul is puzzled about why Kate would help a man who is essentially was a stranger to her two days ago and give him essentially her life savings and expect nothing in return. She admits, "I don't know." Jean-Paul leans back and you can practically see him deciding to be a matchmaker.

* BecomingTheMask: Luc and Kate make a plan that she will approach Charlie and Juliette as a whole different person, someone confident and savvy and having moved on from Charlie. When she does, she plays her part down to a T. She then shares some personal wisdom from her journey [[note]] about how life is about taking chances [[/note]], reflecting that she truly has developed as a character.