Honestly, have you ever received a perfect kiss?
Eighteen year old Denny, traveling to Europe for the first time with her best friend, Chinese-American Elizabeth. Little money, but armed with the perfect kiss and the hutzpah to sneak in anywhere. Nineteen year old Joseph, prince of Lichtenstein, returning to Europe, clueless as to what is even a decent kiss. Alejandro along for the ride, tracking Joseph for People magazine.
[Throughout the movie, when a kiss scene happens, the sound track plays a kissing song: "This Kiss," "Your Kiss is on my List," "Sealed with a Kiss," etc. Fifteen in all.]
ACT I: Getting there
An almost-meet on the plane, an unknowing conversation in a duty free shop, a mad chase through the airport, but the vacation and the kingdom remain safe.
ACT II: The grand tour. Milan, the sights and a fashion show. Denny primps up Elizabeth and they're in. Another meet and greet between Denny and Joseph, but she remains clueless about his status and he about her kiss.
On to Verona and Venice. Then a detour to Monaco for a costume ball. On the train, Denny teaches Elizabeth (and two older Italian women) how to flirt. Royal ball in Monaco. Theme: Rock and Roll All Night. The teens in disguise as the Blues Brothers. Denny, drunk, delivers her signature kiss on Joseph. That's it, he has to find her. But Alejandro mistakenly convinces him the mystery girl is Elizabeth and that she's headed back to Italy. So it's off to Florence for Joseph.
ACT III: Joseph, in Florence, stops girls who resemble Elizabeth to kiss them. Only the teens aren't there; they have diverted to Paris. On the way, Denny, who already has a boyfriend, Eric, decides to teach Elizabeth how to kiss, so she can land the prince. A few tries with random students on the train. Nothing. Joseph learns the teens are headed to Paris, so arrivederci Italia. Meanwhile, Eric sees the cover of People with the kissing picture. Only he knows it's Denny kissing, not Elizabeth. So it's off to Europe for Eric.
Alejandro corners the teens in Paris. Denny has Elizabeth kiss him for practice. Whoa. She's got it. Great, now it's off to find the prince. "But wait," says Alejandro, now smitten. Joseph misses the teens entirely and must return home crestfallen.
ACT IV: Eric reaches Lichtenstein and gains entry into the royal family's reception, as do the girls. Eric meets Joseph's sister, who demands to know what's so great about this kiss. He shows her. Oookay, I get it. Joseph confronts the two teens. Both kiss him. By now, Joseph has learned something about kissing, having kissed a lot of tourists, Denny's kiss is it for him. So what is Denny to do, Eric or Joseph?
ACT V: Three years later. In the end, three couples kiss to the tune of Percy Faith's "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me." But who are the couples?
Quarter Finalist Page International Screenwriting Competition 2021