Prelude to a Kiss (1992) User Reviews (43)

quirky piece of work.... I sure did like it though

[OpWo45 · 7/10 · 5 May 2006]

I voted this film a little low only because there is magnificent competition out there, masterfully crafted stuff perfect from alpha to omega... despite my lower end vote, I enjoyed the heck out of this work by the end of the film.

First I should say, I only tuned in because of the cast, I knew nothing else about the film except the quickie blurb in the TV guide.

I thought it started out a little odd and choppy. The early "dating" scenes though only from 1992, seemed a bit unnatural and "dated" - (and made me wonder if when I was young and starting to fall in love, I was ever really that hokey and scripted) but I hung in there... I had hopes the film would go somewhere other just "another Hollywood love story" - boy, did I get my wish.

I honestly didn't see the turn of fantastical events coming, Lukas snuck them in softly allowing the viewer to discover for themself before the reveal... but once I did, I was hooked right in, line and sinker.

Other opinion writers have given the details in their "spoilers." I don't think I need to, but I would like to say to those who haven't yet seen this film to suspend your sense of disbelief with a heart open enough to hear the quiet breathing of someone you love while they are sleeping miles away from you.

By the end of this film, I was very glad I took the time and highly recommend it for any but the most cynical and insensitive of clods.

Pretty Good Romantic Fantasy!

[gwnightscream · 6/10 · 17 September 2016]

Alec Baldwin, Meg Ryan, Sydney Walker, Kathy Bates, Patty Duke and Ned Beatty star in this 1992 romantic fantasy based on the play. Baldwin (Beetlejuice) plays Peter, a businessman who meets and finds romance with Rita (Ryan), a designer turned bartender who has a negative outlook on life. Soon, fate takes them on a journey when a mysterious, sickly, old man, Julius (Walker) crashes their wedding and kisses Rita. Peter starts noticing changes in her behavior discovering that Julius and her have magically, switched bodies. Eventually, things go back to normal and Rita's outlook on life changes. Bates (Titanic) plays Leah, Julius' daughter, Beatty and the late, Duke play Rita's parents. This is pretty good and Baldwin and Ryan have good chemistry. I recommend this.

Does he kiss the frog? Do you care?

[AlternateViewpoint · 7/10 · 8 June 2004]

Two very different people fall in love, get married and discover that one of them is even more different than the other imagined. What happened? Can true love triumph?

Watching this film reminded me of why I used to think Alec Baldwin was hot. Somewhere between then and now he forgot how to smile (what happened?); and in forgetting that, he hugely decreased his acting range (his nomination for Best Supporting Actor in *The Cooler* aside -- he doesn't smile in that film either!).

Back then, Baldwin was still capable of portraying whimsy & warmth, his character likable; Meg Ryan was still acting rather than playing her mid-90s formulaic "Meg Ryan" role.

Although its origin as a stage play kept peeking out in the style of dialog, the limited sets & the number of characters on stage at any one time, I like live theater.

Maybe that's why I LIKED *Prelude to a kiss*! Whatever. It snuck up on me. It's not *You've got mail*, but it's enjoyable entertainment, and a good chick flick.

Underrated.

Sweet little movie

[wherever · 9 January 2001]

I dismissed this movie as yet another romantic comedy when it came out in '92 and never gave it much thought until catching it recently on cable. It was quite surprisingly a very enjoyable film, for me mostly because of the chemistry between Meg Ryan and Alec Baldwin; I thought they captured the blissful uncertainty of falling in love and thought the subtext was an interesting commentary on love and marriage and what we see in others. It's no great work of art, but it is moving and sweet. I really enjoyed watching the two leading stars. Of course they're beautiful and all that, but they managed to seem human and flawed at the same time (as did the parents) and I didn't feel this movie was overly sappy at all. They seemed to talk to each other the way people do, and less like your typical Hollywood snappy dialogue. There were some interesting and touching moments, such as the contrast between what the old man thought a married couple should act and how Alec Baldwin thought they should, as he looked longingly at the couple kissing in the pool while his new wife (possessed by the old man) chatted away with an older couple.

Oscar winner Kathy Bates was totally wasted here though. I wonder if her part had been bigger and then got cut later.

Worth watching but only for Meg Ryan

[harveyfan · 5/10 · 31 December 2002]

Bespectacled Alec Baldwin meets sexy but eccentric Meg Ryan at a party and falls in love with her. Who wouldn't? Everything goes well until they get married and then... but that would be telling. Let's just say this is one of the daftest films you could ever hope to see, in terms of an unbelievable storyline.

Still there are some nice moments and Meg Ryan is fabulous as always.

Pretty good movie

[fofml · 7/10 · 24 March 2000]

I love Meg Ryan. I think Alec Baldwin is a great actor...so I knew it would be definetely worth watching this movie. The actors do great performances as far as the script allows them... Even tough this is an original story the script is not that fantastic and therefore the stars have to work hard. Overall you can say that this is a pretty good movie as Ryan & Baldwin saved it from the average script. Don't expect You've Got Mail and you got an entertaining movie. I give it 7/10.

Unconventional, perhaps...but still rigidly part of an unconventional formula

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 3 May 2008]

Craig Lucas adapted his own hit play about a nervous newlywed (Meg Ryan) inadvertently exchanging souls just after the wedding ceremony with a lonely, elderly man via a magical smooch. Lucas works hard trying to keep his script free from the often-tread "body switching movie" genre, but he has nothing else to fall back on. Bridegroom Alec Baldwin (who also played this part on stage) fidgets about trying to do something other than look confused, and Meg Ryan (after the switch) is stuck doing even less. The old-fashioned handling by director Norman René is too-cute--and though Baldwin and Ryan are a nice screen match, this premise never allows that union to become important to us. *1/2 from ****

odd and beautiful at the same time

[triple8 · 7/10 · 25 March 2006]

SPOILERS THROUGH:

Prelude to a kiss is a very strange film but also a very good one. Meg Ryan and Alec Baldwin portray the two main characters who meet, and fall in love. Meg Ryan's character Rita is a lovely and complex woman, frightened by living life to the fullest. On the couple's wedding day, just after the two are married, Rita comes face to face with a mysterious elderly man(Sydney walker), who nobody at the wedding seems to recognize. While everyone is trying to find out who he is, he asks if he may kiss the bride. During the kiss, the souls of Rita and the old man switch and both find themselves in the body of the other.

This is no Freaky Friday or Big. It's not a comedy though there are a few funny moments. But by and large it's a love story and a touching one at that. All three of the main leads are great. Baldwin is Subtle and convincing and this maybe the best role I've seen Ryan in since "When Harry Met Sally". But Walker is the standout, he being exceptionally well cast as the old man and his performance is absolutely outstanding. This is a strange story but extremely touching and for one who is tired of the same old tired romantic comedies this is a welcome change.

One thing that I liked was that the movie makers did not turn this into a thriller. I kind of expected the old man to develop a disease and the movie turn into a race against time to get the souls switched back. The movie, surprisingly stayed fairly light, though there were many serious, touching moments, particularly toward the end.The best scenes, by far, occur after Baldwin "recognizes" his wife as the old man, and Rita, in the old man's body, learns to stop being afraid. The dialog is very good and I liked this movie. It's definitely unusual and well above average. My vote's 7.5 of 10.

This gets an 8.5 out of 10 on the WTF meter.

[bensspambucket · 4/10 · 19 September 2008]

Even if we assume that "soul swapping 'cause you really wanted to" isn't a totally ridiculous premise on which to base a movie. Fine. Now think, if your partner or someone very close to you actually did swap souls with someone, how long would it take you to come to such a far-out conclusion. Alec Baldwin's character apparently only took a week to decide the only logical explanation for his wife's strange behavior was that she'd been body snatched! WHAT! I've known my wife for six years and I think it'd probably take me at least a year to even consider soul swapping as a possibility. It's way, way down on the list of reasons why people are acting strange.

Yeah.. it just proceeds from there. Though, it was probably better than Steve Martin's "A Simple Twist of Fate" or "Balls of Fury", but only barely.

weird little turn

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 29 December 2016]

Peter Hoskins (Alec Baldwin) is conservative and Rita Boyle (Meg Ryan) is a free-spirit. She has insomnia. They fall in love and get married. An elderly man happens upon their wedding and kisses Rita after their vows. Their spirits switch places. Rita in the old man's body is confused and stumbles away. Meanwhile, Peter takes Rita to their Jamaican honeymoon.

This is an odd relationship and an odd rom-com. It's divided in two parts. The first part has an uncertain and strangely sweet romance. It's not an easy rom-com but Meg Ryan provides her traditional charms. Then the movie takes a weird fascinating turn. It's hard to really have fun with this. Essentially, Rita has been hijacked by an old man. It's a little uncomfortable and not as fun as the movie wants it to be. Meg Ryan has fun with the twist but I don't have as much fun with it. I actually like Peter spending time with the old guy. It gets a little touching and sweet. This is a weird rom-com.

Prelude to a nice nap.

[vickievallencourt · 3/10 · 2 June 2004]

Not much to recommend about this mild, laughless romantic-comedy. Baldwin and Ryan are newly wed when an old man asks to kiss the bride. Somehow, Meg Ryan and the old man exchange souls, and we have another body-swapping mix-up in the vein of BIG, VICE VERSA, 13 GOING ON 30, LIKE FATHER LIKE SON, 18 AGAIN, etc, etc... only PRELUDE TO A KISS never aspires to anything madcap or screwball, like each of those other films. Furthermore, it's not especially insightful or well-written. So the body-swap twist never amounts to much, plot-wise. We never get BIG laughs, or even 18 AGAIN laughs, for that matter. By the end of the film, I would have settled for a few VICE VERSA size chuckles. Ho-hum...

Are you an optimist? Don't miss this film!

[lbrown-21 · 10/10 · 9 December 2004]

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. The plot is compelling and original. It is part love story, part mystery. Every time I watch it I feel transported to a place of mystery and faith. How many movies accomplish putting on the screen the power of love and the vital importance of who we are inside? Alec Baldwin is utterly convincing as he plays the part of the soul-mate who has lost is partner to the body of a dying old man. Meg Ryan radiant as a woman who never sleeps and who by the end of the movie has rediscovered hope. Watching this film should be considered medicine for the body and soul. Are you an optimist? Don't miss this film! Highly recommended.

Is she or isn't she? - A must for Meg Ryan devotees

[wardrosin · 6/10 · 23 July 2001]

What if two disparate people meet and wonder what it would be like to be each other, if only for a second? Craig Lucas' economical script and Norman Rene's straightforward direction provide a glimpse into that fantasy. Just saw it again on cable and I cannot get over how I identify with the characters. What holds us back from exploring and celebrating "the miracle of another human being"?

Alec Baldwin gives us a performance where he does more than read lines in his scratchy baritone and Ms. Ryan? She is simply luminous in this film.

Rent it or catch it the next time around on cable. Don't be afraid...

Wretched

[sphouch · 1/10 · 31 August 2005]

We got to see this movie for free when it first came out. We even managed free popcorn and drinks. It wasn't worth what we paid. What little bit of the movie I saw showed no range of emotion from Meg Ryan, who, try as she might, can't seem to ever get more than "perky" in any of her roles, at least, the ones I've seen. Ned Beatty, who I appreciate as an actor gave a stale performance, as did the rest of the case.

Although, I left after about 30 minutes, so take this review for what it's worth. It may have gotten much better after we left. However, it bears noting that we walked out of a movie that we got into for free and got free munchies for.

Modern day fairy tale

[[e-mail] · 23 March 2004]

The DVD just became available near me so picked up the movie on an impulse. I remember seeing it on cable some time ago and being very touched by the story and the great performance of Baldwin. Having seen it again, its one of my favorite movies..and probably the best romance in my DVD collection.

Its a modern day fairy tale with a moral and timeless wisdom. It ponders the nature of true love....and then gives an answer. It asks the more contemporary question.."what do you do when the person you love becomes sick, repulsive and dying?"

Of course, this is an allegory for aids but the concept of loss is universal and Baldwin gives a great performance in conveying feelings of loss and helplessness.

Good to laugh at, not with.

[Matt-186 · 3/10 · 18 March 1999]

Oh dear. What a disappointment this proved to be.

The plot had the potential to make this film almost watchable, but they approached it in such a politically correct, timid way that you could see where it was leading from beginning to end. Meg Ryan was as dizzy as ever and Alec Baldwin got more annoying as the film progressed.

I don't think I shall be watching this again in a hurry.

Actually it's mostly the aftermath

[DennisLittrell · 6/10 · 25 August 2003]

I tried to watch this, I really did. I mean, Meg is adorable and Alec has nice hair on his chest. But I just couldn't get interested. I mean, Meg is cute and kinky (kinky in a nice way of course) and she sincerely worries about bringing children into this troubled world, and Alec's character has had a troubled youth. So their characters have depth, I'm sure. And he meets her parents and gets warm with her mom and watches dear old dad's embarrassing antics with his dog tattoos, and they drink beer out of the bottle and you know it's going to be true love and all that.

But somehow I didn't feel any chemistry between them. I mean how would Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play this? (Would they play it?) How about Tony Randall and Jack Klugman? What the hey, how about Abbott and Costello? And then I saw the old guy who was going to kiss her (I knew the premise) and I didn't want to see THAT. He (Sydney Walker) gets on a train at random and goes to a random destination and is fated to arrive at their wedding at exactly the right time, etc.

Anyway, after a while I figured it was probably just me. After all, this is Meg Ryan who is adorable and can still play ingenue types at forty-something (she was only 31 when this was released), not to mention that this is adapted from a hit Broadway show of the same name from playwright Craig Lucas. And I guess I should add that Kathy Bates, who is a fine, fine, underrated actress (how I loved her in the film version of Stephen King's Misery 1990, boy wasn't she a nasty), is going to have a part. (Turned out to be a small part.) But still, let's face it, I'm just not the right guy to fully appreciate such a film.

But then, recalling that I am an intrepid reviewer and realizing I have an obligation to my public who need to see cutesy movies trashed--that, and noticing that today's rerun of Seinfeld is one I've seen three times--I flicked the VCR back on and tried to watch with my eyes closed. That didn't work, so I tried it with the sound off. I thought it might be interesting to try and guess what they were doing by just watching. (You can observe a whole lot by just watching, I've been told. In fact, Yogi told me that.) Then I decided I better turn the sound back on because I knew that this kiss by an old man is going to turn the bride into somebody with the mind of the old man or something like that, and I had better catch what's going on.

Okay I'm still hanging in there and this is actually getting good. No, I mean it. Meg is now an old man (in her soul) and they're in Jamaica and she's dressing old man weird and loving life and Alec is wondering what happened to the woman he married.

I won't say any more except that Meg handles her new persona rather well, and Alec is very professional. Still I have to warn you that it gets syrupy at the end and there's a deep layer of what it means to be in love with someone over and above their sexuality--and that's good. However what really bothered me about this movie was that Meg Ryan was too skinny. She needs to quit stressing and relax a little, have some chocolate mousse and realize it's okay to be thirty-something then and forty-something now.

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)

This movie started out with a ridiculous premise...then went downhill from there.

[techspec · 1/10 · 3 May 2004]

I love Meg Ryan, so I was supremely disappointed in this outing. I suspect that she will look back on this movie the way Dustin Hoffman looks back on Ishtar. Meg plays a woman so dissatisfied with her life that simply kissing someone transforms her into the other body. Now this is not a completely unique premise...remember "Like Father, Like Son" with Dudley Moore? That was actually a somewhat funny movie, however the premise doesn't work when trying to be serious. I think Meg must have been relieved to have success the following year with "Sleepless in Seatle"...because Prelude was a disaster. In fact, the only reason I'm taking my time writing a review about this horrible movie is to warn you not to spend your money renting it!

Took me 30 years to watch.

[PatrynXX · 7/10 · 23 December 2022]

I'd had this on VHS never watched it. Got the DVD in 2016 cheap. Still not on blu ray. It's a yarn. Big on Romance. Think the anime movie Your Name except those two fall for each other. This is some old guy who just wanted to be that person for a day (more than one) and Jamaica yuck. Not me. And clearly not for them either... I'd look for a nice park and relax if it was my Honeymoon. Maybe a Yurt with a view. A fully furnished one. Meg did a great take on acting the different persona. But the old guy. Not so much. Like okay what did he eat down her body . It's an okay film but not a knock you off your feet film.

It wasn't just me

[Pamsanalyst · 4/10 · 5 May 2005]

When Pam can't sit through a Meg Ryan romantic comedy I know something is wrong; it tells me something that she had to tell me that the old man and Meg have switched souls. Is that really how old men act? Since we only met the character for an instant, we don't know, but he sure is more interesting than Alec and Meg. For that matter, her parents should have had more screen time. Yes, I realize the plot did not call for that, but they were funny. Meg and Alec weren't, and then again maybe I am missing the point: maybe they're not supposed to be funny.

From the moment Alec began doing voice-overs, I knew we were in for a long night. If the acting doesn't explain what is going on, and if exposition would run the film too long, then something is wrong with the story.

There is another basic problem: Meg, for all her charm and spunk....I hear Lou Grant saying 'I hate spunk'....cannot convince me that she is the ditz of a bartender in the first part. The role was created 15-20 years too late and needs someone like the young Goldie Hawn, a more physical actress.

To summarise, BIG is better.

Prelude to a Kiss (1992)

[fntstcplnt · 4/10 · 9 September 2019]

Directed by Norman René. Starring Alec Baldwin, Meg Ryan, Sydney Walker, Stanley Tucci, Patty Duke, Ned Beatty, Kathy Bates, Rocky Carroll, Debra Monk. (PG-13)

Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy marries girl, girl gets kissed by some strange old man on her wedding day and suddenly girl is no longer the same girl. Or something like that. Based on a play by Craig Lucas, the story requires a considerable leap of faith from the audience; beyond its bizarre plot device, this is a fairly conventional love story with some fairly unconventional dialogue (some of it in the refreshingly quirky camp, other parts in the no-one-would-ever-say-those-words camp). The incredulous behavior from the characters is purely at the service of letting the apparatus play out, contrivances so frustrating that it's easy to miss a few fairly inspired, even philosophical, remarks about life and love. No faulting the cast for never making the material click (no one is great here, but they're all adequate or better); too much delicacy is applied to the story's labored contortions when a bolder, deeper and more idiosyncratic hand was needed.

44/100

Wonderful Experience!

[Doriano · 10/10 · 17 November 2005]

Prelude to a Kiss is a wonderful experience. Alec Baldwin and Meg Ryan are perfect together. I especially enjoyed his narration at the beginning of the movie as he describes his first encounter with Meg's character. It's all about soulmates and how they connect and they just know it was meant to be. Then there is the powerful moment after Meg Ryan and an elderly man somehow swap bodies and Baldwin looks at his wife and asks "where is my wife?!" because he just knows that she is not the same person he fell in love with, even though it was her body and she looked like his wife, there was something wrong...something off....when it came to her spirit and the way she thought and acted. Incredibly original stuff... to show how deep love is actually. That we could tell whether or not someone is our soulmate even if they changed physical form. It also showed how we love and embrace all those annoying little things about our lovers that we complain about and don't agree with. I thought it was extremely cute how he missed all of his wife's neurotic and strange idiosyncrasies. All of her foibles were as important to him as all of her best traits.

This is a very underrated movie and a must see for anyone who is a romantic.

Unique, Romantic, Odd

[michaeljcummings · 8/10 · 29 April 2017]

"For better or for worse." Cliché but seldom are we tested. This is a very unusual story. You think you're watching a romantic comedy at first, albeit one with ominous overtones. It then veers into a very mystical love story. In my opinion, both Alec Baldwin and Meg Ryan give the best performances of their careers - and are both absolutely stunning-looking and charismatic. The tone is somewhat "Witches of Eastwick" - though not quite as supernatural - and a little bit "Death Becomes Her" - but less absurdist. The supporting players are all excellent, albeit in very lean roles. A few things to keep in mind: the movie is adapted from a 1990 play and can seem a bit stagey at times. Alec Baldwin recreates the role he had created on Broadway. (Mary Louise Parker had created the role on Broadway but the studio insisted on Ryan - Ryan was restrained and very good but her participation gave the impression to audiences that they were in rom-com territory: expectations were set - then dashed - as this is not a rom-com and is at times is very disturbing. Although she was not well-known at the time, MLP may have made this film remembered more fondly.) The writer/director team is also the same as the Broadway play and the writer and director had previously collaborated on Longtime Companion. That is important because deep- down Prelude to a Kiss is a metaphor for loving someone whose clock is ticking - loving someone despite the illness and decay. About true love - and its limits - and appreciating what we have while we have it - it's a little gem of a movie although you need to suspend your disbelief and focus on the three (yes, three) lead performances.

One of my all time favourite films

[triggergotstuffed · 10/10 · 9 June 2020]

L absolutely love this film. It is my favourite Meg Ryan film and it has a killer cast, including Alec Baldwin, Patty Duke, Ned Beatty and a young Stanley Tucci. It is well written and based on a play written by the same playwright/screenwriter. It is a very entertaining film that is a rom com with some fantasy thrown in. Everyone was well cast for their roles and Meg is magical. If you have never seen this film, give it a view and you might find a new favourite for yourself.

Lots of reviewers don't get this movie.

[contrarywise · 8/10 · 3 August 2004]

If you watch this movie expecting a romantic comedy like You've Got Mail--which I thought was garbage, by the way, but then conventional love stories make me go "yeah, right,"--or compare it to other apparently similar movies where people switch bodies, you are going to be disappointed--unless you can open your mind and see that this is not a comedy at all, though written with light touch. The key to the movie is in the advice the heroine's mom gives the hero when he talks to her on the phone. The movie is about the nature of love, and whether it means more than just being attached to an attractive exterior. The "magical" aspect is just a way of confronting this question in a new and powerful way. Also, notice that almost the first conversation the two lovers have is about a book, The White Hotel, which is a depiction of life where the word tragic is maybe an understatement. Like many movies made from plays, the writing is crisp and to the point. Meg Ryan is fine, but Alec Baldwin is riveting when his world falls apart. He is a walking picture of grief, unable even to be civil to the bartender who is a friend. There is a great soundtrack, from the Cowboy Junkies and Lou Reed to Annie Lennox. There is one sublime moment, when the hero rises above all convention and expresses his love, leaving behind all rational, normal ideas of what is okay to do. Well, needless to say I love this movie. But hey, it is not everybody's cup of tea. Especially if you are too dumb and superficial to "get" it.