Beware kids: a disorienting what-am-I-doing-with-my-life crisis may strike at age 30. At least that is the theme Tony Goldwyn's latest movie "The Last Kiss" explores (with help from Oscar-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis, "Crash"). The sinking realization could hit in a way similar to this conversation played out in the film:
Person 1: "You're 29."
Person 2: "No, I'm 28."
1: "Dude, you're 29."
2: "Oh shit, I am."
Whichever way you look at it, living on the brink of 30 means opening a new chapter in one's life, and it is quite potentially a scary-as-hell thought for some. And that's precisely what it is for four good friends and their female love interests in "The Last Kiss."
The film follows Michael (Zach Braff, "Garden State") after the big announcement that his longtime girlfriend Jenna (Jacinda Barrett, "Poseidon") is pregnant. They're happily unwed and will remain so until Jenna can successfully tell Michael five couples who have been married for longer than five years — so far she's only come up with her parents and a pair of ducks at the pond. Michael tries to grasp the notion of starting a family when he is thrown off-kilter and seduced by Kim (Rachel Bilson, TV's "The OC"), a vivacious University of Wisconsin student who is sweetly persistent in her efforts to spend time with him.
Meanwhile, Michael's childhood friends experience their own crises. Chris (Casey Affleck, "Ocean's Twelve") contemplates leaving his scathing wife after realizing that having a baby together did not bring them closer. Izzy (Michael Weston, "Garden State") tries to win back his ex in rash, drunken moments, then plans to relocate to South America. Kenny (Eric Christian Olsen, "Beerfest") bartends and enjoys casual flings with beautiful women, fleeing at the slightest hint of commitment.
Within the mud of these various, depressing plot lines, the story that feels the most honest and hopeful is that of Jenna's parents, Anna (Blythe Danner, "Meet the Fockers") and Stephen (Tom Wilkinson, "Batman Begins"), who after 30 years of marriage witness their walls crumbling.
"The Last Kiss," a remake of the 2001 Italian film “L'Ultimo Bacio," is at best about hormones, infidelity, love, marriage and friendship. Overall, the movie is harsh but honest, trying to show how real people would react in certain situations. Mostly, however, these reactions come across as a bit over-the-top. Jenna, for instance, is affectionate and fun one minute, then fiery and furious with a kitchen knife the next.
When the characters' philosophies for living their lives gets rocky, the drama of the film reaches its highest point, lasting for an extended at-the-edge-of-your-seat-and-very-tense period of time. The subsequent scenes of the movie, when all problems try to find resolution, seem to drag on agonizingly and the flow of the movie dramatically slows down, never to pick up again. Although it is likely what would have played out in reality, the end, needless to say, is all but satisfactory.
Nevertheless, "The Last Kiss" has plenty to get excited about. Part was filmed in Madison (and who doesn't like to see familiar places on the big screen?), with some scenes from the terrace and campus. The soundtrack, compiled by Braff a-la "Garden State" style, is great. Braff said in a recent interview, "We wanted to make a soundtrack that when you listen to it after seeing the movie, the songs remind you of the feelings you felt while watching the movie."
The acting is also great — Bilson being the biggest surprise. She isn't as ditsy as Summer Roberts (her candid "OC" persona), although she still manages to write with a purple pen. She shows she can be mature, fun and irresistible. All of the characters bring a depth and realness to the confusions and uncertainties about growing up that the film puts to the screen, about problems many people could relate to.
It is an honest film, complete with all the right amounts of drama, hormones and friendship. It is this winning combination paired with a stellar cast that makes "The Last Kiss" worth seeing.
Three of five circles
