| Overall Grade: |
A- |
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| Story: |
B+ |
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| Acting: |
A+ |
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| Direction: |
A- |
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| Visuals: |
A- |
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Save The Last Kiss For Me
by Eric (movies profile)
Sep 7, 2007
15
of
17 people found this review helpful
Perhaps I'm the only one that sees the current trends when it comes to men in "relationship" movies. If you believe the movies, men are commitmentphobes that start falling apart at the seems around 30 where we either want to relive our youth or something just as completely insane. I don't believe that all men are this way, just too many of them. And for a movie to find empathy for these men as we see them hit this natural rut is more than what others allow. In other movies, they're just natually labeled childish jerks and left at that.
The Last Kiss, the American adaptation of an Italian film of the same name, is about four childhood friends, but one in particular named Michael (Zach Braff) who is a month from 30, in a 3-year relationship with the perfect woman (Jacinda Barrett) who is pregnant with his child. He knows marriage is coming down the line, and with that the underlying threat to a life as he has seen it. Around him he sees friends, not to mention her parents (Blythe Danner and Tom Wilkinson), in various states of separation in their relationships. And a chance encounter with a younger woman named Kim (Rachel Bilson) pushes him to question what he really wants. What he does next brings major consequinces to the woman he really loves and the girl who just happened to get caught up in a young man's deconstruction.
When it comes to Kim, she is in fact a third wheel, not entirely innocent nor entirely to blame for the emotional bind that comes to getting involved with Michael. There are times I found myself saying "she was asking for heartache", but then I would think about it. There's no doubt of Michael's tresspasses and his culpability in this matter. But what's interesting about the screenplay is that it doesn't allow any of this to feel lobsided. And there is the matter of the other friends. I especially liked the matter involving Chris (Casey Affleck) who finds himself at wits end with his wife whom he feels is severely overcritical. We never get her side, although a few glimpses show that she has a good reason to be critical, but that their marriage is running out of control.
The performances are dead-on, if sometimes a little overplayed in certain scenes. Barrett is probably the most obvious offender, but given a reason (a suspicious pregnant woman is probably the most dangerous being on the planet). But I just loved the perfomances by Danner and Wilkinson, which plays more subtle and sweeter, even as their marriage starts running into a dark grey area. And I admit that Wilkinson's character gives probably the most important piece of advise that any man should be told. "Any fool can love. It's how you treat those you love that matters". I admit it, I wished someone would have told me that when I was younger.
Actor Tony Goldwyn directs this film with a directness that helps open up the major performances. He doesn't break scenes up uneccessarily and has a pretty good idea of pacing. And with a top-notch cast and a good script, he kept the film looking great without being distracting.
I must make mention of Paul Haggis' script (with dialogue rewrites from Braff). This has to be his least stiff writing job I have seen from him. I also am thankful that while it still played to some stereotypes, that he didn't allow the story to follow formula. Again, working from a previous film might have helped in that department, but I also think it's to a writer's credit as well.
All in all, this is by far the best date movie this year. Not so much because it gives you a syrupish love story, but asks hard questions and makes both sides think about what they would do if they were in that position. I think the answer would scare them. It certainly did me. |
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