Un beso más

I saw this at the Toronto International Film Festival to a packed house!

And what a showing it was!

When I stepped in to watch this, I had no idea where the movie would go, nor if it would be remotely interesting. But it quickly started to make sense. An outdoor wedding by the lake, guys talking guy stuff, and cute girls chatting and flirting from the other table, and soon you know it's going to be about guy/girl relationships. And so the plot evolves.

And while it's not an entirely unique story-line, there are unique things about it. The characters are distinct. The main cast of 4 guys all get enough screen time and have their own 'problems' that can easily interweave that the story could really jump from one character to the next. That's a good thing. A relatively predictable story then becomes slightly less so.

If you're looking for a moderate movie -- nothing too serious, but then nothing too fluffy -- something that you can watch, maybe chuckle a few times, or maybe something that might get you to think more deeply about relationship (and in particular if you're considering getting into a long-term relationship, or if you're not sure a long-term relationship you're in), then this would be just the ticket. You get into the minds of the characters, and there are quite a few that you can get to know, which lets you empathize with them. Some questions that I pondered watching this: is avoidance an option in life? Is truth always the best policy?

Anyways, women will find this to be an enjoyable watch, as there are a few distinct women's points of view that come forth through this which seemed quite honest.

Anyways. Strong acting. A few giddy moments, but fun overall. The result was a story that moved along nicely.

"And he knew, before he could kiss her, he must drive something out of himself. And a touch of hate for her crept back again into his heart." D. H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers

I don't know about you, but maintaining love amid the pressures of modern society makes me feel every time as if this is the last kiss, even in a long term relationship. Will she tire of me or I of her? Will a baby change everything? Will marriage lock me in to my future without my control?

These and other contemporary issues such as realistically understanding parents' adult-love situations are the purview of The Last Kiss, an intense melodrama that watches the disintegration and sometimes rehabilitation of every relationship in the film, including a parents' seemingly perfect union.

As writer Paul Haggis did with Million Dollar Baby and Crash, he fashions reality-like dialogue around common struggles, which he elevates to universals. For example: "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." This is not Eugene O'Neill, but it may be closer to modern idiom than the noted playwright's work.

In other words, these situations sound more real than reality TV, even though both are scripted, possibly because this film does not attempt to glamorize or accessorize the everyday challenges of maintaining love. Ibsen crossed with Pinter is the closest I can come to the style and tone of The Last Kiss, as good an explication of modern romance as we're going to get this year.

Granted, the people in this film are better looking than we and have more leisure time to agonize than we do, but then the beauty of art is in excising the mundane and exposing the big issues often played out by the beautiful. I fault the film only for its absolute adherence to reality, which does not admit elevated language while other elements are heightened such as the beautiful parents' home and the temptress's unworldly seductiveness.

Be prepared to face yourself if you have a last kiss.

The Last Kiss; Michael is a frustrated architect on the brink of turning 30, who's spirits are dampened when he begins feeling as if his life is formulatic and planned. At a good friend's wedding, he meets Kim, a beautiful and charming college student. Michael's uncertanties with his fiancée Jenna lead to an unexpected affair with his new collegiate. However Michael is forced to deal with the consequences of his actions when his secret spills.

The Last Kiss is a very good movie, although you're likely to be depressed leaving the theater if you are under the age of 30. Smart, engaging and honest, along with incredible acting and dead-on dialogue add up to a penetrating, insightful melodrama that isn't afraid to pull the punches.

The movie is undeniably sad, but it's a certain type of sad in which you will probably find it hard to look away. The characters are interesting, flawed people just like you and me, and everyone stumbles onto something interesting from scene to scene.

4 from 5

Don't necessarily expect to see the next step in Andrew Largeman's life. While the trailer makes you think "Hey, it's Zach Braff playing another guy who is confused about his life, and not sure where to go from here", The Last Kiss does offer a little more. For one its much more mature, and the characters are all flawed (and not in cute 'Natlalie Portman lies to get people to like her' ways) and they are all real. The performances were far better than i expected, the entire cast shines. The movie succeeds in appealing to everyone. No matter who you are and what state your romantic life is in, you will find someone to relate too.

Jacinda Barrett finally gets to show some acting skills, and comes through beautifully. Casey Affleck is great. Zach Braff makes me understand why he wants something different, despite the fact that Jacinda Barrett seems so lovable. And the biggest surprise is Rachael Bilson. Early on she seems as if she is playing Summer Roberts on the big screen, but as her character unfolds she simmers with sex appeal, and was able to break my heart with just a simple gesture.

The Last Kiss succeeds in letting its actors shine, and if anything you should see it for its great soundtrack.

If you haven't the original Italian movie this is based on, do yourself a favor and watch it instead of this. If you already have watched the remake, you can still go and revisit the story which is handled way better. Of course you will feel differently about the Remake and like it much more than my rating is suggesting at the moment. But if you take my advise you might see where I'm going with this.

While Zach and others are doing a decent job, you'd expect the movie to capture the essence way better than it actually does. If you have seen Garden State you might even be disappointed by the lack of effort (or at least it feels like a lack). Relationships are hard work, remakes are even harder work ... or not