Zach Braff longs for The Last Kiss
Written: Sep 18 '06 (Updated Sep 18 '06)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Great cast, a healthy mix of comedy and drama
Cons: Too much drama, not enough background info on supporting characters
The Bottom Line: I turned 30 and got married in the past year, but I couldn't identify with this movie at all.
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| phungus's Full Review: The Last Kiss |
The Last Kiss stars Zach Braff as a bachelor nearing his 30’s with a baby along the way, but he’s not quite ready for the responsibility of being a husband and a father. The title of the movie has to do with his desire to have one last fling before commitment. In short, this is about a guy who needs to either grow up or have the crap kicked out of him.
The movie begins with Braff and his girlfriend (Jacinda Barrett of Ladder 49) going to visit her parents to announce their pregnancy. Her father (Tom Wilkinson of The Full Monty) is happy to hear the news and embraces his daughter. However, her mother (Blythe Danner of Meet the Parents) is not very happy about the news and immediately brings up marriage. We later learn that their marriage is falling apart and this difference of opinion serves as yet another blow to drive the wedge between them.
Later on at a friend’s wedding, Braff’s character is approached by a young college student (Rachel Bilson of The O.C.) who eventually offers her phone number. Braff’s three main friends in this movie are a hardbody playboy (Eric Christian Olsen of Cellular), a heartbroken upset guy (Michael Weston of Garden State) obsessed with his ex-girlfriend, and a married father (Ben’s brother Casey Affleck) who can’t stand his wife any more, but loves his infant son. When it comes to relationships, Braff’s character isn’t exactly surrounded by positive influence. He makes the mistake of giving in to the temptation of the young college girl’s invitation, and this creates a whirlwind of consequences that he must face.
Ultimately, this becomes a movie about maturity, though I had a hard time identifying with any of the characters. As a whole, I liked this movie, but there were many parts of it that I did not like. Having both turned 30 and gotten married in the past year, I expected to get more out of this film. The truth is, I am just glad that I don’t know anyone whose lives are as torn up as Braff’s friends in this story. I felt like this movie had too much of an anti-relationship vibe because it seemed like none of the couples really liked each other. Also, those characters that had made the commitment toward marriage or parenting all seemed regretful for it.
The relationship between Braff and Barrett was so perfect that you’ll wonder why he’d be so stupid to run around on her, and so do his friends. She comes across as being a very normal person who doesn’t nag too much but isn’t too much like one of the guys. Braff doesn’t come across as a bad guy, though he does some sleazy things. It’s obvious that he’s holding on to his old college days and some of his friends don’t help that situation. The opportunity to bag a college girl ten years younger proves to be too much for him to resist, and I think most audiences will not like him for it. He even tells the girl, “You make me feel 10 years younger.”
The added level of drama between Barrett’s parents didn’t have enough founding information to make it believable. When we meet them, Danner’s character is already on the verge of leaving her husband, but it doesn’t really explain why. You can tell there is some distance between them, but the story doesn’t establish this well enough.
What I found most entertaining about this movie was the blend of heavy drama with some great comedy. In many ways, Braff’s group of friends were a lot like Steve Carrell’s buddies in The 40 Year-Old Virgin. This movie mixes fart jokes with serious discussions about parenting. Zach Braff still retains a lot of the charm from his Scrubs character, though in this film he’s not so polished.
Paul Haggis wrote this screenplay based on an Italian film of the same name. I’ve read that Braff also added to the dialogue, which probably explains a lot of the humor. Haggis won Oscars for the last two Best Pictures, Crash and Million Dollar Baby. He’s also the creator of Walker: Texas Ranger. Talk about an eclectic resume!
Actor/director Tony Goldwyn directed this film and I think he did a good job with the material. Goldwyn’s previous directing has mostly been with television series. He’s the actor probably most famous for being the guy who tried to move in on Demi Moore’s character after Swayze died in Ghost. I liked that this movie didn’t run too long or too short, and it at least made you wait for the unpredictable ending.
I’ve not seen the original Italian film, though I think the characters in this movie might be more accepted by European audiences as opposed to American ones. Perhaps that is the reason why The Last Kiss isn’t performing well at the box office. Maybe there’s just too much else out right now.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Date Movie
Worst Part of this Film: Plot
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