Customer Reviews

Kiss of Fire

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Alright guys, let me save you some money. Christina Applegate is not naked in this movie. Thank you.

Applegate's stripper-by-night/motel-laundress-by-day life spiral is apparently motivated by her troubled past. A past that includes a stern military father, a brother who killed himself on his 16th birthday, and a step-mother still living in the family's Southern mansion. Unfortunately these elements are only hinted at in Applegate's exposition, and the viewer is left to wonder what sort of childhood they add up to.

The arc-free plot involves an Italian drifter, hired as the motel's handyman, who becomes smitten with the laundress. Unfortunately, Applegate's character has intimacy issues (or perhaps bi-polar disorder), and the couple embark on a series of push-me-pull-you encounters. There are plenty of content-free subplots - including porn films being shot at the motel, and a lesbian affair - none of which pay off. There's also a big helping of artistic lighting, framing and freewheeling camera work, none of which further the film.

Applegate's short erotic dancing sequences are the sort that provide good copy (and a still) for the tape's packaging, but are not the sort of blockbuster performance one might expect in light of the turns made by Demi Moore and Elizabeth Berkeley. In fact, it's Applegate's dramatic scenes that show off her actual talent - acting. Too bad there's so little content for her to work with.

Those who seek this video for hot action of Christina Applegate as a stripper will be disappointed with all but about two minutes of this film. It's a rather dour tale of a Southern girl from a rich home (Applegate) who runs away from her "evil stepmother" (what the exact problem is with the stepmom is never adequately explained). An Italian drifter happens along and they strike up a romance, although she is rather abivalent. The film is basically about the ins and outs of their relationship. There's very little humor and not a lot of sexual heat--the main message seems to be "life sucks, but it's all we have". Based on a short story by Heidi Hall ("The Magnifcent Rescue"), who also scripted the film. Perhaps the s story had more of a point.

I have no idea what was the point of making this move at all, so there is not much I can say.
I have to congratulate though, the marketing agent or whoever was behind the making of the cover, because it leads you to believe that this could be a somewhat sexy movie, with some "sexy" scene with Christina Applegate, well nothing like that....
If you want to see a fun movie with ther, rent or buy, the sweetest thing, possibly the unrated version.

As far as CA's films go, most have been rather..ehm..disapointing to say the least. She showed she COULD act in "Streets" and this is withoug doubt her best film since then. Great performace throughout, and if your a CA fan you HAVE to have this film, lots of sexy shots, guys won't be disapointed.

Christina Applegate did a great job with a very bad script. It's obvious that she is a great actress. However, it doesn't make up for the movie all together. If it wasn't for her performance, I would rate this one a zero. The other actors missed there marks all through the film. A film school student could have done a better job directing this film. It would be nice to see Christina in a real movie.

I can honestly say that this movie wasn't interesting in the slightest. The only reason that I even watched it is that my best friend and I were extras in this movie. We were in the strip club scenes. It was great. I almost hit Christina in the face with a pool stick once. It was first going to be called "Claudine's Return" but they changed it. I wish someone had told me. I had to find out several years later from a friend of mine who found it on the internet. I thought that the movie had been scrapped or something. When I finally watched it, it bored me so much I had to fast-foward it to the scene that we were in. My friend did the same thing. Christina did a great job acting though. She has great talent but made a bad choice in making this movie. If they had chosen a different actress to play Claudine, it wouldn't even be worth renting.

Now this is an outstanding example of independent style film-making. While the subject matter and characters wildly swing from eccentric, impish, passionate to spiritual, the easiest conflict to recognize is the tormented love-affair of Claudine Van Doozen (played by Christina Applegate of Married with Children fame) and Stefano Marui (Stefano Dionisi). To add to this complex mix of emotions, Claudine has tendencies to be openly self-envolved, including AC-DC tendencies. This then relegates Stefano as simply an escort, as Claudine routinely shares herself with her other female acquaintances. Nevertheless, Stefano is like a moth-to-the flame, spell-bound by Claudine's physical beauty, moodiness, spiritual insights, inner-conflicts, plus deep personal scars. By conjecture, this film supposedly depicts a fringe element of southern society that may shock you. But like Stefano, you become ever-intrigued to see how it all plays out, and who will ultimately win Claudine---if at all possible. Truly, this film is a sleeper-classic that will likely never be aired on network TV...at least not during the kiddy-hour!

The first thing that shocked me about "Kiss of Fire" was Christina Applegate's performance. I mean, WOW. She just MADE this movie.

The storyline was actually very strong. The director handled it well. Claudine (Applegate), a beautiful free-spirited young woman, is desperately trying to escape her awful past. She is a laundry girl by day and an exotic dancer by night. When claudine meets Stephano (Dionisi), a man who changes her life, she learns about real love and decides to confront the secrets that haunt her. Everything seems wonderful...but all good things usually come to an end.

"Kiss of Fire" is powerful, captivating, and intensely riveting.
A truly beautiful film.

I searched and searched and searched and FINALLY found it on DVD. It only includes a chapter selection (1-29) and captions (english subtitles or none). The main menu has a gorgeous picture of Christina Applegate on it with some fireworks in the background.

If you've seen "Kiss of Fire" and you're looking for the DVD, I found mine at the Virgin Mega Store in Westside Downtown Disney in Orlando, FL. Well, that's only if you live near there or are planning to go there. ...

This movie ranks very high on the list of an ability to cut through the hollywood candy coated lives we see in most movies. The writer and director had an understanding of human life and the need to be loved. In this film Christina Applegates character has fallen into the underworld trying to cope with her failed search for real love. When she meets a young man who truly loves her she is unbelieving and rejects his love over and over. When he is relentless in his understanding for her she finally gives in to him and all seems good. But like so often in life just when things seem to be getting better it ends. The film makes a great point about life at the end and leaves you sad but comforted and wiser. This is one of the better films I have seen in a long time. The actual filming is suberb in creating intimacy without a coating of explicit sex so as to not distract from the real story. The film draws you in close in a very artistic way. ...