The Last Kiss (2006)

Director:

Tony Goldwyn

Writers (WGA):

Paul Haggis (screenplay)
Gabriele Muccino (motion picture "L'ultimo bacio")

Release Date:

15 September 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

We all make choices. What's yours?

Plot:

Michael and Jenna, having been a couple for three years, want to get married and start a family. These...

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Marriage | Sex In Hammock | Party | Sex With Collegiate

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Zach Braff	...	Michael
Jacinda Barrett	...	Jenna
Casey Affleck	...	Chris
Rachel Bilson	...	Kim
Michael Weston	...	Izzy
Eric Christian Olsen	...	Kenny
Marley Shelton	...	Arianna
Lauren Lee Smith	...	Lisa
Harold Ramis	...	Professor Bowler
Blythe Danner	...	Anna
Tom Wilkinson	...	Stephen
David Jones	...	Mark (as David Haydyn-Jones)
Cindy Sampson	...	Danielle
Lisa MacKay	...	Stripper #1 (as Lisa Mackay)
Patricia Stasiak	...	Stripper #2

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, nudity and language.

Runtime:

115 min | USA:104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Australia:MA | Ireland:15A | USA:R (certificate #42461) | Argentina:16 | Singapore:M18 | Germany:12 | South Africa:16 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Peru:14 | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Company:

Lakeshore Entertainment

Trivia:

Shipped to cinemas under the code name "French".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Casey Affleck is hiding in the bathroom from his wife and crying baby, he reaches to open the door with his left hand, thus pulling on the door it should open from the left, yet the camera cuts and the door opens from the right without switching places.

Quotes:

Kim: [from trailer] The world is moving so fast now that we start freaking long before our parents did because we don't ever stop to breathe anymore.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross: (#11.5)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Beguine

Better than I expected

I know I saw the 2001 Italian original, but didn't remember much about it until I saw Tony Goldwyn's remake and the scenes and story came back. And it then surprised me how much of the original I managed to remember. That's also possibly because Oscar-winner Paul Haggis' screenplay sticks awfully close to its Italian origins.

I am a fan of Zach Braff's work. "Scrubs," for my dough, is the best half-hour comedy on TV and his directorial debut, "Garden State," was one of the best films of 2004.

"The Last Kiss" is not a romantic comedy by any stretch of the imagination, no matter what advertising campaign the studio launched. This is a well-acted, well-told story about the dumb things we men do to the women we love. And, of course, the consequences.

The film delves deeply into the insecurities of its characters, never offering pat answers or easy resolutions. There are no Richard-Gere-climbing-the-fire-escape-to-get-Julia Roberts moments in the film.

Braff plays Michael, a 30s man facing the harsh reality that the rest of his life has been plotted out and he longs for something different. Despite having a gorgeous fiancée Jenna (the lovely Jacinda Barrett), he finds temptation around the corner.

The film balances its three subplots well. They never interfere with the Michael-Jenna saga, yet add to the complexities of the story.

However, I found it interesting that while in the Italian film, the object of the protagonist's desire was a high-school Lolita, Haggis and Co. opted to make her - in this case, Kim (Rachel Bilson) - a college student. The Italian film tends to be a bit more potent on that level, though Michael's attraction to Kim is believable.

The performances all find the right pitch. Braff is completely believable as the confused young man in search of meaning to his life. Barrett is heartbreakingly good. There also are some terrific supporting performances from Casey Affleck, Blythe Danner and Tom Wilkinson. Then again, when was the last time you saw Wilkinson perform badly?

Couples should see this film. It's a mature, thoughtful, unpretentious, and sometimes even difficult, movie to see. But it is gratifyingly good. Don't go expecting a typical fluffy date movie. This film raises interesting and important questions about couplehood and then lets you figure out the answers. When was the last time a Hollywood film did that?