By J. H. Miller, Staff Writer
To everyone’s surprise, the post went viral. Within weeks, fan edits appeared on YouTube and TikTok featuring the song “Crush” by Cigarettes After Sex. The hashtag #KissRamonSomeMore has since accumulated over 40 million views. Kissing Ramon Some More
But fifteen years later, a grassroots movement has emerged online, simply titled It isn’t a sequel, nor a reboot. It is a retrospective analysis asking a provocative question: Did we misjudge the chemistry between protagonist Mike and the mysterious Ramon? The Scene That Divided Audiences For the uninitiated, The Valencia Diversion (2008) follows Mike (Steven Plemons), a neurotic travel writer who gets lost in the Andalusian countryside. He is rescued by Ramon (Diego Luna-esque newcomer Javier Soto), a laconic olive farmer with a secret past. Within weeks, fan edits appeared on YouTube and
Indeed, when you watch the extended cut (available on the recent Criterion release), there is a moment after the cut where Ramon almost smiles. He touches his own lips. It suggests the kiss wasn't a climax, but a question. We reached out to actor Steven Plemons (now 45, star of the hit series The North Water ). Surprisingly, he was eager to talk about the scene that once haunted his resume. Q: You’ve joked in the past that the ‘Ramon kiss’ was the most embarrassing moment of your career. Has that changed? It is a retrospective analysis asking a provocative
The next time you watch The Valencia Diversion , don’t skip the rain scene. Lean into the elbow-jab. Watch the way Ramon’s left hand hovers, unsure of where to land. Listen to the stutter in Mike’s exhale.
“Absolutely. I used to wince seeing it. But my daughter found the ‘Kissing Ramon Some More’ edits last year. She said, ‘Dad, this is so vulnerable.’ That hit me. I was trying to act passionate . But the director kept yelling, ‘Be worse at it. Be a real human.’ So I stopped acting. I just... kissed a guy I had a crush on in the dailies.”