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Kiss Kiss Bang Bang has been a long time favorite of Kristin and husband/editor Will. It is exactly their brand of shenanigans and it’s clever as hell. Warner Brothers took a bit of a risk in 2005 giving Robert Downey Jr. a chance to start rebuilding his leading man status after his stint in prison. Fortunately for everyone it paid off and we got a performance that directly led to his role in Iron Man. The rest is history.
From the mind of Shane Black, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a gritty, noir comedy set in the cutthroat world of mid-2000s LA. There are multiple crimes all leading in the same direction that Downey and co-stars Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan are trying to solve. It’s dark subject matter but their zany antics manage to keep it light. It’s a lot of fun and if you haven’t seen it, go.
One thing that sticks out in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the time period. Not necessarily in the style, but in the writing and perspective. Particularly the gay panic after Kilmer kisses Downey. They wouldn’t have gotten away with that today. And there are a lot of really filmbro-ish moments. That said, we think Shane has evolved with the times and there’s really nothing in KKBB worth looking into too deep. It’s definitely a movie aimed dudes, but it respects the women and gay characters (few as they may be) and that’s important.
Overall Wil liked revisiting Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Kristin still loves it. It’s very fun, very clever, and few movies balance that with a dark underlying story. Do you like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? Let us know over on Twitter or in the Youtube comments! As usual, we love chatting with you about these things and it helps us with the Youtube algorithm. For now though, pick up your severed finger, wave at Native American Joe Pesci and settle in for today’s non-Christmas Christmas episode of So…I’m Watching This Show!
