Customer Reviews

The Last Kiss [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

This is a dramatic piece originally written and directed by Gabriele Muccino under the title "The Last Kiss" (2001). A blockbuster in Italy and a much more intense and revealing experience than this Hollywood counterpart by Tony Goldwyn, who seems to have a penchant for appropriating scripts (million dollar baby and Crash) and legitimizing the depth that is therein displayed. Needless to say in this adaptation - however direct transliteral carbon-copy may be a more accurate description - something is lost. The cultural translation works only within a limited dress, disguising inability to commit with what may be "existential angst" in full swing. The Italian version adds intensity where the DreamWorks production carries a blunt tenderness, neither convincing nor endearing, but always aptly dramatized. The casting is excellent as we've come to expect of all of Tricia Wood's engagements, with Zach Braff and Jacinta Barrett and Rachel Bilson in leading roles supported with a surplus of talent in minor agents of definite weight.
This movie is well-constructed and racy in an intellectual and sensual sense. What happened to the screams into the void, the cries for more and the desperation for meaning that afflicted the characters in "L'Ultimo Bacio" and seems to be an afterthought in a redrafted tale about the fragility of the psyche and the crass expectations we feel obliged to meet and rejoice within.
Something is lost in the translation, but the undercurrents are aflowing with enough force to warrant watching and perhaps even comparing. If you are verging on 30 and thinking about getting married you'll end up getting stuck in a nostalgic disoriented displaced mood. If you are a woman you'll wonder why the male presence overarches the female roles, with the answer being a cultural one. In Italy this is a "Guy-flick". In other words: a night out with the guys so as to vent, let go and recharge, similar to the much maligned chick-flick category, but more of a phenomena with depth of extra human proportions. Not possible in the US (I apologize for the generalizing vein I force here).
To make it simple for the simple "if you liked Garden State you'll love The Last Kiss." If you are not afraid of pinching the reflective chords within so as to stir the inevitable emotional instability we must confront on occasions lest we just follow the crowd and get lost in the shuffle, then watch it and enjoy, or better yet buy the original version (on sale on Amazon too) and challenge your intellectual sensibilities in an honest commercial effort, satisfactory and satisfying.

Any male between 23-30 whos considering or in a commited relationship can attest to the (brutal) honesty of this movie. It portray's men's grass is greener feelings toward other women (when locked in a relationship) with perfection. The portrayal of Chris' character and having a child is absolutely spot on also, raising a child can push you to your edge just like you see his wife. And consequently make you consider leaving the relationship. The grass is greener feelings toward bachlors, etc, the movie is just plain accurate and I'm sure many have found it profound how the film nailed their own personal feelings.

A paragraph for the character of Jenna (played by Jacinda Barrett). Wow, the portrayal is just so amazing and real, my wife and I were both affected very much by it (my wife was in tears in the first Chris/Jenna confrontation and then of course the Michael/Jenna immediately after). The acting was the most honest I've ever seen a female actor allow themselves to go to. I saw some comments about the physicality of Jenna's character, personally it was spot on, my wife would certainly push/smack/slap me if I'd behaved even close to the Michael character. This could be direction as well as Jacinda of course. If so, very nice Tony.

Great movie overall, excellent casting and I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I did not find it depressing at all, which is a word I've heard associated with the movie often. The movie may be depressing for those under 20ish, but that is only because they've yet to experience just how factual and honest the movie actually is. It's not depressing, it's real life.

Relationships are evaluated, endured, cursed and celebrated in this fast paced saga about friendship, love and commitment. I originally thought it was going to be a light hearted movie but was pleassntly surprised to find it a movie of real subtance. The characters are realistic and the emotion portrayed is believable. Although intense at times the characters demonstrate the angst and joy of life and love with another person. I found one of the lines especailly profound and have never heard anything expressed so honestly before. "Everbody says they love someone but what they feel really only matters to them. It's what they DO to the people they say they love is what really counts." Case point. End of story. I recommend this movie to those who are not afraid of real emotion. It is moving and they kind of movie that can effect your life in a positive way and stay with you a long time.

I saw the orignal Italian version of this movie and I hated it. Everything just seemed to fall flat. I never hated characters so much. I decided to give the remake a chance because I am so enthrawled with Zach Braff. I think when you hear 'Zach Braff' you automatically think 'funny' so people were disappointed with the overall tone of the movie. It isn't a romantic comedy. It is about the complexities of love and realizing that you are no longer a kid. Zach Braff proves he is so versatile and talented in every role. Jacinda Barrett was okay. I think they could have found someone better for this role. It was just easier to sympathize with Braff's character instead. (I heard that Rachel McAdams was considered for this role and I think she would have been amazing.)Anyway this is a great movie but don't expect big laughs. The soundtrack is really good too!

I have to say that this film ranks among other romantic dramas that are realistic, that, instead of trying for the angst of courtship and happiness of ever after, depicts fallible human beings who make mistakes, who prosper and fail, who try and give up. It's definitely in the same vein as Garden State. By showing relationships in different stages, this movie points out the difficulties one faces when in a pair and the sacrificies one must make for either a partner or child. Much like Garden State, it provides an almost philosophy in the film, gives great quote after great quote, and, though it wraps up the storylines, doesn't necessarily give that swelling of orchestra happy ending that most romantic comedies do.
***Spoilers***
However, what I wanted to say here and in particular in response to a previous review by Forrester, the portrayal of women in this film does certainly fall in line with the traditional "female" role but not necessarily real women. While I may be the commitmentphobe and therefore empathized with Braff until his indiscretion, let it be stated that not all women are ditzy college girls desperately running after taken men or baby seeking marriage craving women.
Furthermore, one can empathize with Affleck's wife in the film. While both certainly need marriage counseling, her behavior is not so crazy given the possibility for post partem and the very real experience of no longer being a person but instead being a mother. Staying at home with the kids is not the bon bon eating, soap opera watching experience some would paint it is. While Affleck certainly did not deserve to be constantly castigated and should have been given a chance to be a father, let's not denigrate the role of women as mothers or generalize all new mothers to be "insane" or "unreasonable."
Thus, despite my quibbles with the female portrayal, I take the film as an adequate and realistic portrayal of issues many deal with in their twenties as that big 3-0 approaches, whether it's babymaking and ring swapping or simply dealing with the notion of "forever" and mortality.

GREAT MOVIE!!!

I understand people's frustrations with The Last Kiss. These individuals may possibly even be above the sentiment of walking into this film with the preconceived notion that it will be as light and fluffy as Garden State, which is still one of my favorite movies. The thing about The Last Kiss, though, is that it shreds that sort of ideal universe of happenstance created by Garden State, and ushers the viewer into a world of turmoil and heartbreak, not much unlike what is commonly referred to as Reality. I find it intriguing that the indie-flavored soundtrack geared towards the college-aged kids accompanies The Last Kiss, because this film cannot be simply shuffled into a position in the category of films designed for people that almost deem Coldplay not indie enough for them. The Last Kiss is an adult venture - it isn't about those butterflies a guy feels when he first looks upon the cutest girl he has ever seen; it isn't about those wonderful times after sex where one's feet can gently grace her lover's lower leg while they whisper about life's mysteries. It is about relationships on every level - past the points where they are simple and lack deep emotion. For the most part, the characters in The Last Kiss are exactly what they would be had any of these events happened to them in real life. For Example, after Jenna (Jacinda Barrett) kicks Michael (Braff) out of the house for kissing Kim (Bilson), it is no surprise that he does what he does. Which guy wouldn't? Regret is almost always an afterthought in these situations and never a forethought. And the manner in which Blythe Danner's character comes of age is incredible; the depths to which Tom Wilkinson's character is subtly explored is equally fascinating. And these characters, including all of Michael's friends, all mean everything to each other's lives.

I would go so far as to say that this is a coming of age story, where the coming of age is never fully realized while it is also never fully introduced. There is a lot to learn from it, from all the stages it presents, and there are a world of words to say about love after watching The Last Kiss, arguably many more than those which could be said after Garden State. I would love to have a discussion with a fan of films who hates this movie - because we would both have a lot to say.

Garden state was my favorite movie for a long time after it came out in 2004. that being said i can honestly say that i like this movie even better. i guess because in the last 2 1/2 years i have done i lot of growing up, Garden State really fit with how i felt then and this movie really hits home for me now. this movie deals with four friends and their relationships failures and what they do to try and keep what they have once they walk out on it. Its about questioning your life and where its going and the mistakes we have to make in order to find what is really important to us. Its a comedy-drama, but not really a chick flick at all but not really a guy movie either, its for anybody that questions there choices as they get older. If Garden State was about finding your place in life, The Last Kiss is about having a place and fearing it might not be the right one, which at some point everyone can relate to.

Ever since the success of Crash, writer Paul Haggis is seemingly everywhere. He helped with Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers, this and even Japanese languaged Letters from Iwo Jiwa. Since I found him unbelievably overrated, could that have been the reason why I only partially liked the Last Kiss since the subject matter is actually well chosen but the presentation and writing of it just completely crumbles it before it even gets going. To that end, this is another case of a good theme for the film to be in just not a well-written one.

We follow several relationships (and strangely forget about half) but the main thread is Michael and Jenna, a young almost-30 couple who are going to have a baby. This is causing Michael worry since now his life is planned out: no more surprises, nothing new and a feeling of repetitiveness. This of course is worsened by Kim, a young college girl who he starts falling for which is of course a bad thing.

Then of course there's relationships all around them such as Chris who is in a marriage where his wife drives him nuts thanks to the new baby, another who prefers one-night stands over commitment, one who turns almost stalker-ish then we have Jenna's parents who after 30 years of marriage, aren't exactly eye-to-eye either.

Literally everybody has a big deal in the film. In the same way Crash tried to cram as much characters dealing with racism in any form, there's not a single normal relationship in the bunch and what's worse is that we don't really care for any of them, especially the non Michael/Jenna ones. Lauren Lee Smith, who's quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses so far, is barely on screen and Marley Shelton might as well be a cameo. And a character's frequent one night stand completely disappears at one point. In fact once Michael makes a mistake I don't think everyone else shows up until the end. Not to mention the writing is a bit too convenient and obviously decide to tell the story rather than it being natural or letting us care. In essence, the characters all become ways to tell the story and that's it like they're detached from everything.

As far as the acting is concerned, again it's quite commendable even though the tone is always too on the nose (another Crash-like problem) the acting is fine including Zach Braff, Rachel Bilson, Lauren Lee Smith, Casey Affleck as well as Jenna's parents played by Tom Wilkinson and Blythe Danner. Also attention paid to the soundtrack where I literally had to look up songs since I was starting to like them. Curiously, songs like Coldplay's show better relationship dilemnas than the film did.

Is it worth a watch? Sure, there's enough honesty in certain scenes and the acting is worth it but when a character does something stupid and we spend the rest of the film following along, we kind of feel like "oh come on, kick him out already". Not a good sign.

I stay so far away from these types of movies that when I finally get to see one or forced to see one I really enjoy it. Last Kiss really surprised me; I thought that a film with so much drama going on within it would just annoy me. What I did get was some really good acting though Zach Braff seems to always have the same expression on his face to me. It could just be me but anyway on to the synopsis. The last Kiss is very very simple, a bunch of friends are turning thirty. They're all at different points in their lives but they all seem to have woman trouble except Michael. This guy has the perfect relationship and his girlfriend is pregnant which he is happy about. He has no problems right? But then the dingbat goes and makes problems making guys look really bad.

His friend is getting married and at this wedding he meets a pretty young college student. This girl sets her eyes on him and goes after him and though he resists at first he becomes intrigued by her and starts up something with her. Besides this Michael friends provide more drama and some pretty good comedy. His friend Izzy is still in love with his ex and does some crazy things because of her. He even starts yelling at her at someone else's wedding, foiling and crying because she won't take him back. His friend Chris has a newborn and is tired of coming home to his wife yelling at him and his child crying. Even Michael's girlfriend's parents are having major trouble, it's just a huge web of messy relationships. All of these guys have their trouble but the main focus is how Michael messes up something good all by himself.

The Last Kiss was unbelievable and if you ask me the writing itself was a bit different but very realistic. In real life things really just happen all of a sudden and that's what the movie does. It shows how a guy can have everything one day but then one thing just changes his total outlook about his life. I love the dialogue; Jacinda Barret who plays Jenna (Michaels girlfriend) plays an angry girlfriend very well. She was really good even picking up a knife and threatening to kill Michael. The acting was good no problems there but I hated the ending. I was just expecting something different and surprising; also a lot of things were not disclosed. I would have liked to know what happened to the other characters other than the main characters. Overall Last Kiss was a pretty good movie. The story has been heard before but the style was new to me and it was entertaining I would definitely recommend this.

The creative, idiosyncratic spark that elevated 2004's "Garden State" is rather lacking in Zach Braff's latest starring vehicle, a decidedly old-school dramedy with a new-fangled soundtrack. Granted he does not direct nor write his latest. This time, actor Tony Goldwyn directs and Paul Haggis wrote the screenplay, and it has the familiar multi-character, stacked-deck approach that Haggis' script for "Crash" has. Unfortunately, this 2006 film also reflects the more pedestrian style Goldwyn exhibited with the 2001 Ashley Judd rom-com, "Someone Like You" than his textured work in his more impressive debut, 1999's "A Walk on the Moon".

The plot revolves around four buddies nearing thirty, all grappling with growing up and moving to the next stage of their lives. The main focal point is Michael, an architect whose longtime girlfriend Jenna's unexpected pregnancy has him questioning his readiness for marital domesticity. The opening dinner scene where they announce their intentions to her parents is a terrific set-piece of nervous ambivalence and guarded enthusiasm. The film then has Michael facing the dilemma of an unsettling attraction to a comely coed Kim, whom he meets at a friend's wedding. Their burgeoning attraction is strictly all by-the-numbers, especially the necessary deceptive elements of it.

Meanwhile, the clownish Izzy, unceremoniously dumped by his girlfriend, cannot move on and decides to buy a used RV to travel to Tierra del Fuego. Already married with a baby, Chris regrets his commitments, as he cannot cope with his shrewish wife and constantly crying baby. As the least ready for any kind of commitment, hedonistic Kenny seems to find the ideal woman with similar sensibilities until she wants to introduce him to her parents. As an obvious counterpoint to Michael and Jenna's inevitable crisis, her parents Anna and Stephen face a mid-life crisis which forces Anna to seek solace from a former lover. But it is Michael's deceptive quagmire that takes up most of the film's running time, and the last ten minutes amount to a wonderfully executed sequence (the sandwich drop is a nice touch).

Forced by the script to be rather elliptical in character, Braff comes across as more passive and frustrating than likable as Michael, especially as the story moves along. Jacinda Barrett gets to show more colors as Jenna, but the movie never explores how her character's puritanical nature may have contributed to Michael's wandering eye. As Kim, Rachel Bilson does what she can to make her youthful character compelling, but again her character is rather simplified to what our initial impression of her is. Michael Weston (Izzy), Eric Christian Olsen (Kenny) and helium-voiced Casey Affleck (Chris) play the other guys to their accustomed stereotypes, but Haggis's script doesn't allow us more than a cursory look at their dilemmas, especially Chris's where it seems his wife has a pretty solid case for her sour demeanor.

Not too surprisingly, Tom Wilkinson and Blythe Danner add much-needed gravitas to the movie, though I have to admit Wilkinson seems to be repeating much of his performance as an impassive husband from Todd Field's "In the Bedroom". Danner, however, has been allowed more depth here than most of her big-screen appearances, and she seizes most of her moments, even if her implied affair with Harold Ramis is given short shrift. This movie will likely attract those who think they will be seeing a romantic comedy, but what they will see is a hodgepodge of male maturity issues.