Um Beijo a Mais

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?

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

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

"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.

I found myself actually enjoying this movie very much. Without giving anything away, it deals with the story of four male friends and how their relationships with women have evolved. They are all in their late 20's about to hit 30 and the reality of behaving and acting like an adult suddenly sets in.

I liked the movie very much because I saw myself in the main character and how I used to be when I was his age. Entertaining! The ending was actually surprising--the movie dealt with how both men and women react when they are hurt by the ones we love.

Go see it! Two thumbs up!