Edit out the sex, and The Kiss would fit comfortably in the universe of TV sitcoms. How much one appreciates that particular brand of humor will factor into this film's appeal. Toss in a handful of decent sex scenes, and you have a product which isn't quite as clever as Frasier -- but it's a hell of a lot more arousing.

Basically, Kyle Stone is the platonic roomie of Lori Michaels. He's got the hots for her but she doesn't recognize it... and they're both into kissing. With this familiar setup, we get a nicely-tooled comic performance from Stone (perhaps his best ever), which earns him a pre-nom nod; ditto for the film itself. The story (written by the director) chugs along with some amusing gags, particularly a recurring one wherein Stone is foiled by kissing a homely transvestite every time he attempts to lay a wet on Lori's lips.

Naturally, various asides attempt to graft sexual encounters to the story. Some of 'em dovetail pretty well, such as a French kissing party held by Felecia and a few of gal pals; or a grope between Lori and her boyfriend Michael J. Cox. The hands-down hottest scene is virtually divorced from the plot, as Chloe (after experiencing deep analingus, yum yum) gets her tight little bunghole reamed by Steve Hatcher... while she gobbles down Tony Tedeschi's knob. As everyone knows by now, Chloe's enjoyment of the act of sodomy is a sight hot enough to cause cornea damage. The scene builds to a terrific climax, but alas, when her eyes roll up into her skull as she's about to go ballistic, the editor cuts to Hatcher making a fake cummy face, robbing the viewer of an essential passionate moment. Points off for this blunder.

After the gag well is milked dry, a few fantasy sex sequences take over, as both Lori and Stone fall into hallucinations caused by a bogus aphrodisiac. Paramedics Nick East and Katie Gold pair with Lori and Stone, resulting in a pair of respectable trysts. The two roomies never actually consummate their potential relationship, which could be viewed as either a fresh or a disappointing approach. It isn't expected; that's for sure.