French Kiss 1995

American history teacher Kate lives a quiet life in Canada with her fiancé, a doctor named Charlie. She carries a few practical fears and hurdles—fear of flying, lactose intolerance, and the looming question of Canadian citizenship—that keep her from traveling. When Charlie invites her to join him in Paris for a professional conference, she declines, hoping to avoid upheaval and future uncertainty. Yet the invitation sets off a chain of events that tests her loyalties, her romantic yearnings, and her sense of self.

Days later, Charlie calls with stunning news: he has fallen for a French woman named Juliette and intends to stay. Devastated but resolved, Kate boards a flight to Paris to try to win Charlie back. On the plane she is seated next to the smarmy Frenchman Luc Teyssier, a man who exudes charm even as he dismays her with his blunt opinions. Luc comes from a family of vintners and has a secret: a stolen diamond necklace hidden inside an American grape vine he plans to smuggle out of the country. He hopes to sell the necklace and use the vine to establish his own vineyard, a dream that will lure Kate into a web of deception and danger. He hides the necklace and the vine in Kate’s bag, knowing that customs checks are a potential doorway to trouble.

At the Paris airport, Inspector Cardon spots Luc and offers him a ride home, then searches his bag for any signs of criminality. Cardon knows Luc’s line of work but is also grateful because Luc once saved Cardon’s life, which complicates his urge to arrest him. Kate, meanwhile, waits in the hotel lobby for Charlie, only to faint when she sees him kissing the glamorous Juliette. A French thief named Bob steals her luggage, and Luc arrives to retrieve the vine and the necklace, while also helping Kate identify the thief whom Luc recognizes. In Bob’s apartment, Kate learns that her passport was sold and her clothes were given away, but the vine and the necklace remain in question.

Desperate for help, Kate seeks aid from both the American and Canadian embassies, but is denied assistance because she had not disclosed a prior felony conviction for marijuana possession when applying for Canadian citizenship. She purchases a ticket on a train to Cannes, determined to pursue Charlie, who is traveling with Juliette to meet her in-laws. Luc, realizing that the necklace is not with the vine and must be hidden in Kate’s bag, decides to pretend he’s genuinely interested in helping her win Charlie back.

That night, Kate drifts off and wakes to find herself kissing Luc in her sleep, a moment that unsettles both of them. The morning brings a playful but telling moment as Kate samples copious amounts of French cheese and describes a “delicious dream,” only to fall ill from the indulgence. The pair disembark the train in La Ravelle, a town that happens to be Luc’s hometown, where he reluctantly leads Kate to his family’s vineyard. There she discovers that Luc is not merely a charming stranger—he’s someone with a real history and a keen knowledge of wine. He had gambled away his rights to the family vineyard, yet his passion for wine remains steadfast. As they continue toward Cannes, Kate teasingly reveals that she has found the necklace.

Luc gives Kate advice on how to emulate the aloofness and nonchalance of French women—an attitude meant to help her woo Charlie. Kate confronts Charlie and Juliette on the beach, confessing that she came to France to win him back, but then claiming that Luc is her lover and that her life with Charlie feels dull and unfulfilling. Meanwhile, Cardon tracks the necklace and asks Kate to hand it over to prevent Luc’s arrest, but she persuades Luc to let her route the necklace through Cartier.

Over dinner, Kate and Charlie discuss dividing their Canadian property, and Charlie is intrigued by Kate’s new indifference. Luc distracts Juliette, while Kate’s plans intensify. That night, Kate returns to her room, rebuffing Charlie’s advances and admitting she no longer loves him. Luc goes to bed with Juliette, but is startled when he calls her Kate, revealing the depth of his feelings. The next morning, Kate tells Luc that she has “won” Charlie back for herself, and she returns the necklace to Cardon, presenting Luc with a check—ostensibly from Cartier but actually her life savings. With a mixture of relief and resolve, she leaves with Luc’s grateful, hopeful smile and heads toward the airport, while Cardon shares with Luc the truth of Charlie and Juliette’s reconciliation.

In a final twist of romance and risk, Luc discovers Kate on the airplane and confesses his love for her. The two share a passionate kiss as the credits of possibility rise over the vineyard they now own together, signaling a new beginning born from a plan that began with a stolen necklace and grew into something unexpectedly genuine.